jennifer gutierrez morgan

A native of Los Angeles, Jennifer Gutierrez Morgan's work reflects intersections of her existence as artist of hybrid cultures and influence.  Her prints, photographs, and mixed media installations draw from a range of thematic interpretations.  Exploring elements of existential curiosity, one may find an overall reference to imagery which evokes a sentiment similar to that found in poetic literature.  Specific bodies of her work may reference interest in cultural rituals and sacred iconography, interpretations of the anatomical language and ideas which dissect  notions of social, political, geographical and personal borders.  Through such visual communication, her work manifests as curious projections, sensitive to the duality of our existence.

Finding influence from print collectives such as Taller de Gráfica Popular (MX) and artists Graciela Iturbide, ElizabethCatlett and Nahum B. Zenil, Gutierrez Morgan touches upon parallel concepts and mediums, while constantly working to establish her own distinct voice. While her work may be found on paper, she also finds interest in printing on and utilizing various materials, ranging from textiles and botanicals, to found recycled materials.

Her other passion of building altars during the seasonal feast of Dia De Los Muertos is rooted in her deep fascination with, and personal connection to the art and culture of Mexico.  Informed by traditional folk art, textiles, metalwork, and photography, her altar installations reflect an interest in life processes and how one relates to and attempts to keep tradition alive.  In addition, such works illustrate her sensitivity to the inextricable relationship of object and space.  While a natural desire to search for objects which educate and exist as remnants of past lives and memory, she works to create a conscious aesthetic which honors and speaks to the subject at hand.

Gutierrez Morgan has exhibited throughout the cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New Orleans, participating at venues including the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), the University Art Museum Cal State Long Beach (UAM), the Mexican Cultural Institute Los Angeles, the Southwestern Anthropological Association, La Mano Press, Avenue 50 Studio, Farmlab, Fremont Gallery, Cactus Gallery, Viento Y Agua, and more.  In 2010, she was one of two Los Angeles artists selected to participate in a joint transnational public art project, Casas Arte Home Intervention Project, in collaboration with Consejo Fronterizo de Arte y Cultura (COFAC) in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico and Ave 50 Studio in Highland Park, CA, funded by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC)/Ford Foundation.  Her work can be found in several publications and remains in the collections of Los Angeles City Hall and Chicano Art collector, Armando Duron.