Es Como el Burro Hablando de Orejas (work in progress)

Es Como el Burro Hablando de Orejas (“it’s like a donkey talking about ears” or, simply, “look who’s talking!”) began with the reverse side of a religious tapestry I found at the Salvation Army in Santa Fe. While the front shows angels and Catholic imagery, I saw its underside as a psychedelic negative space where these devotional symbols could be reimagined through beads, gemstones, pearls and sequins.

Donkeys were first brought to New Mexico by Spanish colonizers in the 16th century and, for centuries, played a crucial role in transportation, mining and agriculture, profoundly shaping the region’s landscape and economy. Instead of hanging on the wall, the tapestry is draped over a donkey-like form, transforming it into a mysterious living presence. The title comes from a New Mexican dicho (folk saying) used to call out hypocrisy. By placing this glittering textile onto a burro, I wanted to acknowledge the often-overlooked role these animals played in shaping the history of the Southwest, while also reflecting on the contradictions and inherited narratives that continue to surround Spanish ancestry in New Mexico.

This work was made while in residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute and the Institute of the American Indian Arts in Santa Fe New Mexico, as part of the Transatlantic Rising Stars Project 2026 supported by the European Union Delegation to the United States of America.

Es Como el Burro Hablando de Orejas, 2026 (work in progress)
Ceramics, glass beads, vinyl beads, mixed beads, rhinestones, gemstones, freshwater pearls, sequins embroidered on tapestry.
55x42x22 inch / 140x106x56cm