Rocio Graham | Cultivando raíces con sueños compartidos/Growing roots from shared dreams

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Rocio Graham, "Rooting"

Courtesy of the Artist.

Opening August 25 at 5:00 pm

Rocio Graham is a Mexican-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Sinixt and Syilx territory. Offering an intimate glimpse into the nuanced identities of Mexican migrant workers that work in the farms of Interior BC, Rocio shares her own experience of uprooting herself and re-negotiating her identity. Growing roots from shared dreams presents work that is deeply rooted in ritual ceremony, performance, and relationality. Developing a friendship with her compatriots becomes an attempt to collectively recreate their sense of community and place. This exploration of the Mexican diaspora is a reclaiming of sorts; seeking a way to rewrite stories of migration using a new visual language—one that emerges from shared roots and shared dreams. 

Drawing inspiration from childhood memories of ceremonial regalia and traditional celebratory attire, Rocio creates elaborate ritual garments using seeds, flowers, and other natural materials wildcrafted locally. Wearing the work in re-imagined ceremonial performances forms a connection to the rituals that she grew up with, simultaneously deriving meaning and connection in the new country that she now calls home. Growing roots from shared dreams is an exercise in the discovery of a holistic vision of self—acknowledging the complexities of a mixed and at times contrasting spiritual upbringing and celebrating deeply rooted ritual connections to the natural world.