Celina Jara Tovar is a Xicana, Mexicana-Americana artist and emerging art therapist born in Denver, CO, currently residing in Chicago, IL. Using her cultural identities and her experience as a first-generation US citizen, Celina explores familial lineages and histories through the artmaking process. She is interested in using visual symbols such as cacti and agave plants, which are synonymous with her family’s homelands of Jalisco, in order to connect with her ancestors and homelands. In her current arts-based research, Celina explores the phases of the grief cycle/journey, using her own experiences of ambiguous and death-related losses. As an emerging art therapist, she is interested in exploring the therapeutic benefits of being with community and in relations with others, and how these spaces can allow for healing to happen, especially as one grows around their grief.
My body of work explores the relationship between various print processes—stone- and photo-lithography, alongside linocut relief—and its intersection with the complex terrain of the grief process. Central to my exploration of grief, is the movement away from the common understanding of grief via “’stages” versus the more nuanced understanding of grief through “phases/cycles”. Through the process of printmaking, I sought to find a metaphor between a non-linear, cyclical depiction of my personal grief journey, and the processes of printmaking. In total, I aimed to create an edition of prints for each phase/cycle of my grief. These include: Shock/Denial, Anger/Bargaining, Depression, Pain/Guilt, Processing/Reconstruction, Hope, and the absence of ‘Acceptance.’ The deliberate omission of the ‘Acceptance’ print reflects my uncertainty about its existence in my grief journey, allowing for further reflection about whether this phase is attainable or even tangible for my grief journey.
The symbol of the nopal (cactus) emerges prominently within my artistic narrative, drawing parallels between the plant’s attributes and my experience of grief. Like the nopal, I’ve discovered that grief embodies both nourishment and protective thorns—offering sustenance while potentially inflicting pain if engaged and handled without care. This exploration reframes each phase of my grief journey, using the nopal as a symbol that mirrors my own evolving experience. As an aspiring art therapist intent on working with individuals—particularly youth and adults—navigating grief and loss, this body of work embodies my personal journey while extending an invitation for communal engagement. I am interested in how we can continue to explore grief and care through communal action care.
While my creative process primarily involves individual reflection, this project invites viewers to traverse my emotional landscape through the prints, encouraging an artistic dialogue and response with the question: In your grief journey, what does “acceptance” look like?
DND - Grieving, 2023. Photo-lithographic print with colored and black ink.
Alma De Nopal | Soul of Cactus, 2023. Stone-lithographic print with black ink.
Grieving + Resisting, 2023. Stone-lithographic print with black ink.
Grieving + Resisting - Cont., 2023. Stone-lithographic print with black ink.
Anger - Mano, 2023. Linocut relief print with black ink.