Rising Stars: Meet Emiliana Henriquez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emiliana Henriquez.

Hi Emiliana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in El Salvador and raised in Los Angeles since three months old. As a self-taught artist, my audience has always been the Latin community of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles, and aspire to reach more black and brown communities worldwide.

My paintings mix mythology and dream-world symbolism with my present life and the people and neighborhoods and family I grew up with. I want to make paintings that provide a space where challenging personal and communal experiences can be meditated on in a way that is introspective and expansive.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growing up in an adverse community as an immigrant, I carry a lot of traumas that have stayed with me through my adulthood, art has given me a voice to speak honestly about what I experienced and how I perceive the world because of it. My hardships have not only made me a stronger artist but a fearless one as well. I taught myself to paint because I had faith in my strength.

And I knew that it would be worth it to invest in myself. It has been almost nine years of self-discipline and dedication to my work, I’ve dedicated my whole heart to this artistic endeavor and it has always steered me right.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a contemporary figurative oil painter who is known for expressing ideas and dreams from the perspective of a brown women. People have come to know me for my honest subject matter, I regard myself as a misbehaved artist, as I explore sexuality and self-identity unabashedly.

I am proud to be a Salvadorian woman that Is able to be vulnerable with her audience, I hope that this quality can be exemplified for many others, especially the women of El Salvador.

I want the world to know that what we think and dream of as brown people is collectively similar to all humans. Having women tell me how my work has empowered them tells me I’m doing something that’s beyond myself. What sets me apart from others is my desire to want to give perspective “To gain perspective means you know how to change the meaning of a circumstance”.

This would allow others to view honest ideas through my work and possibly form an opinion that could in some way progress our capacity to be accepting of others who on the surface might look different but internally share many similarities.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most people find it surprising that I am a confident self-taught artist, I used to be very modest about my capabilities as a painter but this modesty shows in the work. Confidence is what makes artists like Picasso or Basquiat so great to watch when painting, when I became more proud of my dedication to learning the art of picture making without any academic schooling, I began to approach painting with less fear, I believe this is what people sense in the work and find it intriguing that it could be a self-taught quality. I hope that people are able to gain inspiration in this to pursue their own passions wholeheartedly and confidently.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emilianahenriquez.com
• Instagram: @emilianaartist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilianaart/
• Twitter: @emiliana_art