Resistencia y Alegría
Asenette Ruiz
2024
“Resistencia y Alegría” intertwines themes of reproductive and environmental justice through a dynamic visual lens on Houston, TX. The work features a silhouette of a womxn intertwined with roots and tree branches, symbolizing the parallel between injustices on earth (environmental justice) to injustices on women (reproductive justice). This imagery extends into the creeks and bayous flowing through a map of Houston, which often surge during heavy rainfall, highlighting the impact of these injustices on communities across the City. This visual underscores the potential of place as a site of injustice (on land, on women) but also a site of healing and joy. Throughout the map, the artist highlights various experiences at the intersections of reproductive and environmental justice - from the impact of air quality on maternal health to community-led protests against environmental degradation to moments of joy. With a nod to the power of women in justice movements, particularly the Ni Una Menos movement in Latin America - reflected in the purple color scheme which often show up in protests against feminicide - the work draws connections between Houston’s large Latine population and ancestral roots, and the power that comes from those places and collective action. By highlighting both the challenges and moments of jov and empowerment in our present, “Resistencia y Alegría” invites viewers to consider what a continued struggle for both environmental and reproductive justice look like in our future, and how to embrace resilience in alignment with nature to build that just future.
Asenette Ruiz
I seek to address the challenges I have faced and to advocate for and empower marginalized voices, particularly within the realm of the environment, in my art. I grew up in Houston and often connect my “climate story” of what got me into environmental justice to this experience, remembering how the creek surged next to the mobile home I grew up in during heavy rain, how water crept up the driveway during hurricanes Ike and Harvey, or walking through a flooded parking lot during heavy rain in high school. I recognize that this, and many more environmental issues, are only magnifying - which drives my commitment to addressing environmental injustices.
I create artwork to explore my lived experience and themes that are significant to me as an artist and human being. I use bright colors in many of my pieces that draw on previous artwork I’ve made, many of my recent pieces take on an Artivism lens - channeling art as activism. The motivation behind my work builds upon my experience and identity, including but not limited to identifying as a latina, first-generation graduate, woman, and underrepresented minority in engineering and professional spaces. My goal is to visually express the questions I ask myself and feelings that I have felt through my lived experiences. I also aspire to relay themes of intersectional justice, create a space for underrepresented backgrounds, and elevate different perspectives in my art.
As a facilitator and creative engineer, I bridge STEM, art, and justice. To center joy and peace in my life, I love to hammock, be outside with my plantitas, and enjoy a cup of tea.