estoy aqui.: Oaxaca, estoy aquî

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As a visual artist, my work stems from being an avid explorer of my environment, where ever I may be. For this 5- plus week residency I intend on mapping the centers, and surrounding areas of Oaxaca and Puebla primarily by foot, opening my senses to the colors, smells, textures and people of this a foreign environment. Although my Spanish is fairly limited, I am determined to establish a sincere relationship with this new place, and in turn, plan on creating a site-specific art installation reflecting my experience. This blog will serve as a collection of data as well as a journal recording of my day to day episodes.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Oaxaca, estoy aquî

Well, I've been here less than 24 hours and... I really like it.. a lot. There has been an inkling inside of me drawing me to Oaxaca and now I can see why. I'm unsure why I haven't done more research on this place and have been focusing so much on other places in Mexico. Oaxaca is beautiful, and definitely a change of pace from Puebla. Although Puebla definitely has it's character that I thoroughly enjoyed, I'm feeling a bit more cozy here in Oaxaca. I think the climate has a bit to do with my comfort in that it's warmer than Puebla, a little bit more like my home in Reno, NV. Oaxaca is also very "hip." I've seen a lot of gringos walking around, and there are galleries EVERYWHERE. I'm excited to find this kind of artistic oasis in such an unexpected pocket of Mexico.

Not to mention, I'm literally blown away by the beauty of the residency location itself:

Today I set off to explore with help and direction from the Oaxaca site director- Steve. I did a massive lap around the inner part of the city and found it to be very... nice. It definitely has a different feel from Puebla, most of it being a bit better kept. Where I found textures and diversity of form in Puebla, here in Oaxaca things to be a bit more unified. Well, to some degree. But I've only seen so much so far... Fotos de Hoy. Click to enlarge!