Angela Alejandra Gamez
Title: Our debts darling!! , 2007, Technique: monoprint, ink on paper, 10 x 8 inch
How did you get into debt?
In short, being a sucker. I'm the first woman in my family to have completed college before turning 40, and I really wanted to break that barrier. I was also under the delusion that a Bachelor's Degree from a prestigious college was necessary to 'make it' as an artist. The bulk of my debt is from my student loans, which alarmed me upon graduating because I had received a decent amount of scholarship money to cover my tuition expenses. After my studies, I had a hard time securing stable work, and in turn health insurance so as a result I was left with some medical debt prior to receiving health insurance from my current job, and credit card debt from when I was supplementing my income [or lack thereof] from when I was freelancing/unemployed.
Title: Dual self I , 2009, Technique: monoprint, ink on paper, 13 x 10 inch
How does your economic reality effect your art?
Well I think I have a good job and then I can buy my art materials, without restrictions
Title: My soulmate , 2009, Technique: monoprint, ink on paper, 10 x 13 inch
Would your work look different if you weren't in debt?:
It's difficult to say. Privilege certainly has a way of casting an unshakable lens onto one's perspective. If I had money to burn, and a financial holding company to invest in my work I might've been making diamond encrusted skulls before it was hot. However in my case, I don't have the luxury of being blind to systemic oppression, and so I create artwork that mirrors the reality that most people are required to confront on a daily basis.
Title: France , 2009, Technique: monoprint, ink on paper, 10 x 13 inch
http://gamezart.blogspot.com/