Natalia Sotelo is a 22 year old Mexican artist based in Seattle, Washington. Inspired by Mexican culture, her work includes colorful figures and many representational characters of ancient Aztec culture. Her work often focuses on showcasing underrepresented women figures of the past, and highlighting climate changes' effects. She works with oil paints, gouache, pen, digital art and has recently moved onto murals.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
My artwork critically highlights cultural, gender and environmental issues. As an artist born and raised in Mexico City, I reference Aztec culture and women by depicting their symbols and legacies. I paint the brown bodies of underrepresented women, who, either symbolic or real, have been forgotten by history in Mexico and beyond. From Aztec goddesses left behind by male-oriented history, to current minorities, I portray women as strong figures to remember them as they are. To do this, I use oil paints, gouache, charcoal, acrylic and watercolors.
I apply bold, contrasting colors in my work: red, green, white and black are dominant tones. My work is often elaborate, heavy on details which I make to add visual imagery. To further my exploration of underrepresented aspects in history, I create symbols to exalt them. For instance, Aztec Sun and Moon Dieties as stylized “sunmoon” symbols; the Mexican axolotls (salamander-like animals) as traditional loteria game characters depicting Virgin Mary and Revolutionary women; and climate change as turtle shell hosting human organs. These are amongst several of my works. My work thus far has a dominant aesthetic theme with some experimental outliers. It exemplifies what is overlooked in history both through women, culture and the environment. This work has been influenced by my personal life as a woman who moves through two cultures in an ever-changing environment.
Natalia Sotelo es una artista Mexicana de 20 años, ubicada en Seattle, Washington. Su trabajo está inspirado en la cultura Mexicana, que incluye figuras coloridas y personajes que representan la cultura Azteca. Sus obras muestran mujeres que no han sido representadas en la sociedad y en la historia, y trae a luz los efectos del cambio climático. Normalmente utiliza pinturas de óleo, acuarela, gouache, pluma, arte digital, e inclusive unos murales.