artist statement

Gabriel Mejia is a visual artist/ educator/ activist/ spoken word coach. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University, and MFA from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. He has exhibited his art work in Chicago, California, Wisconsin, and Toronto, and has taught in Chicago Public Schools for 15 years. 

With his new body of work, Gabriel Mejia is exploring identity, tradition, and trauma through the visual language of Día de Muertos. 2 years ago, following the death of his father, Enrique Mejia, Gabriel returned his father’s ashes to Mexico. After spreading his ashes at the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan, the artist traveled throughout Mexico City and the town of San Andrés Mixquic during the Día de Muertos celebration. The paintings and drawings in the series entitiled, “Teotihuacan”, are a result of street photography and documentation of this pilgrimage as seen through the eyes of a son in mourning, a father looking to end generational trauma, and a second generation immigrant who is of mixed race and is always navigating in a complex space of cultural and familial identity.