QUINN ANTONIO BRICEÑO

I am a guisado, a stew, a savory blend of ingredients from two worlds: One of Nicaragua, and the other of the United States. My whole life, my identity has been questioned by those around me and it continues for me as an artist. Growing up in two countries separated by thousands of miles and by differences in language and culture, I have always felt that I had to choose to fully embrace one and discard the other. 

 

In my work, I choose both. ¿Por qué no los dos? Blending Americana with Latinx, my work reflects those two worlds and creates a new space where those who feel they must discard a part of themselves can belong. This new space produces an entirely new gaze from the viewer, one that trades isolation for acceptance, inclusion, appreciation, and empowerment. 

 

Alongside painting, I am very invested in the traditions of collage because it allows me to take society’s scraps of discarded material and my own personal history to create a new environment: one that celebrates who I am, and by extension, who my subjects are. My work examines both my struggle with identity and shows how I came to be the person I am today. Yo soy Nicaragüense. Yo soy Estadounidense. It is my own personal histories and experiences that are the ingredients that create the guisado that is my artwork, and by focusing on those who are marginalized and forgotten, I hopefully create for them another seat at the table.