Exhibitions
9—24 August 2024
—Chicago, IL
The art of illusion is reality, where timelessness, imagination, and space come into itself. The work explores paradoxical ideas of gender, religion, class, and location through sensory playfulness, all while contrasting the visible and invisible. Primitive color palettes, works ranging in size from child to adult, and Bowers's invitation to play with riddles are all part of the show. The work has the potential to deeply connect with the audience, drawing on their personal stories and experiences. The interplay of color and the arrangement of these objects encourage viewers to explore, reflect upon, and interact with the items in the space. The shapes return to their original forms, colors, and playful nature, as if the room were devoid of any depth or complexity. Nevertheless, the two-dimensional demonstration interacts with the three-dimensional objects, enticing one to explore the unseen. The narratives explore various themes, including gender identity, the environmental impact of Hurricane Katrina, religious secrecy, and the symbolic significance of objects that shape multiple perspectives. The audience is invited to play, touch, and explore the work in the gallery. The element of surprise is meant to ignite the experience of the child that was once suppressed or forgotten in one's life.
Through the United Fruit Company's expansion into Central and South America, the work alludes to the complicated colonial history of those regions. Giselle Mira-Diaz refers to the discernible realities of conceptual thought surrounding archived materials that disappear between Western and European colonized narratives. Through the Stuart Abelson Graduate Research Fellowship from Columbia College Chicago, Giselle traveled to Costa Rica and Colombia in the summer of 2023 to gain access to documents, photos, and oral histories present only in South and Central American archives. Through interrogating these materials, Giselle produces a contemporary response through Photography, Video, Performance, and other mixed media interventions. The work seeks to uncover forgotten histories that tie into social structures and imperialistic domination of America-based companies that historically and currently still have control over Central and South American land, economic production, and workers. These pieces cover the loss of life sanctioned by Chiquita Banana, Resulting in the murders and disappearances of Banana Plantain workers and their families, and the destruction of the land and environment through the harmful malpractice of Banana monocultures. - Giselle Mira-Diaz
The current discussions revolving around sex and gender identity, proposing a practical approach to acknowledging gender identity that involves comprehending its multifaceted nature. The work reveals the fetishistic undercurrent in academic circles and the objectification of transsexual people. The conflict of these statements created a series of reflections on the language used around 'gender.' The multiplicity of the terms ‘gender’ and ‘trans’ is infinite and explores the possibilities of how gender is understood, which creates a rhizomatic matrix. The work represents a metaphorical allusion to how people fetishize not only queer people but also transgender people, and the underlying argument is connected to educational institutions. Bowers depicts the laborious processes involved in researching and making art from the perspective of an artist, writer, and researcher. The papers serve as props and historical documents, representing a small fraction of what is read within the artist and academic communities. - S. Elliot Bowers
“My professional focus is enriching undergraduate and graduate experiences by developing new philosophies and exploring transhistorical connections between art and polyphonic discourse. As an artist-philosopher, my research has enhanced foundational courses by creating a curriculum that cultivates innovative collaboration between students, faculty, and staff. The connection is formed by elevating students' conceptual and technical expertise in critical thinking by providing collaborative and individual mentorship.”
—S. Elliot Bowers
Want to Collaborate?
Want to Collaborate?
I have established two non-profit galleries to provide art to marginalized communities, and my work has been featured in international residencies. I am dedicated to collaborating locally and internationally while providing these opportunities for my students.