Gladys Camilo (b. Compton, CA) is a visual artist, cultural worker, curator and DJ. She is interested in the intersections of identity and trauma, collective feeling and the fostering of safer spaces to explore vulnerability and co-care are also important in her work.
Her artistic practice is heavily influenced by the nuances of her identity as a Chicana/Mexican-American person. Growing up in both the U.S.A. and Mexico has shaped the ways in which she understands herself, and how she interacts with her environment. Her visual works—often taking the form of paintings, textiles, and writing—tend to be very intuitive, impulsive, and driven by emotion.
Collecting and archiving practices are one way she gets situated in different contexts, and these materials regularly inform her work. She’s been reflecting on found imagery from flea markets, online archives and personal family documentation in order to flesh out forgotten memories, feelings and faces—and reinvent new realities. She is also currently interested in interrogating methodologies for working sustainably when creating artworks. This often means repurposing “waste” materials related to natural dyes; mending and reusing fabrics; and seeking ways to create soft and cosy forms that care for, and prompt self-care, for the (artist) user / wearer.