Jennessa I. Martínez

S E X
I am a Chicago native from the south-west side of the city: Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and Little Village. My complex neighborhoods which have brought me so much joy and pain consist of street violence, culture, domestic violence, pleasure, pervasive homelessness, community, rampant drug abuse, care, active gangs, and family. Throughout my life, I have confronted, analyzed, and participated in these activities through various means of creative processing. This undertaking has allowed me to open conversations that bring forth both my communities’ inherent plight and delight. Moving into the professional field of art therapy I now find myself confronted with working professionals that often do not share my geographical and cultural history. My creative practice consists of an attempt and a refusal to bridge these worlds. I use poetry and artist books-that are oftentimes polarizing commentaries as a weapon to dissect the effects an environment can have on a person; through personal experience.

My art making process is a personal release that allows me to breathe, reflect, and create. I choose to begin my work with materials that are familiar and accessible to my community and household such as paper, live rounds, and condoms. These materials allow me to work freely without any restrictions. I then consciously move to more “hard to reach” materials such as plywood and resin which, because of their price, comment on accessibility and financial issues within my community. I also combine jewels and chains that are linked together with surgical thread. The tranquil act of sewing in a repeated motion allows me to focus and recenter myself when activated. My process is purposely complicated. It reflects the layered lives of my ancestors, generational trauma, and my lived experience. More than anything, my work showcases the disparity of my worlds – intimate urban art and high education. My work has become a political force inevitably linked to my personal experience.
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