Isabella González was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America. In 2020, she received her double B.F.A. in Painting and Fibers at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Her art pieces involve different layers of fabric embroidered as an intention to mend herself. Isabella’s work relates to the acceptance of living between two extremes, physically and emotionally. Her artistic production is deeply grounded in the hand made. Her work has been included in national exhibitions such as “Honduras Art Festival” in Gracias, Lempira, and Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with her solo exhibitions “Stitched Memories” and “Processes”. She has been actively involved as a promoter of Women in the Arts (MUA). Isabella continues to explore and develop her concept and technique in her practice.

Artist Statement

I stitch pieces of fabric together to metaphorically assemble myself back into a complete whole. I was born in Honduras, located in the middle of Central America. Honduras has a long history of corruption, poverty, and crime, which have rendered it one of the least developed and most unstable countries in the world. The struggles of daily life keep you grounded. The poverty you see reminds you to be humble, to be happy with all you have. It pushes you to do your part, no matter how small, to contribute in making a change. You develop patience; you accept the way things work and carry on with life, you pick up the pieces and mend yourself. I deconstruct portraits and reconstruct them; rip them off and start again. I use embroidery to mend and repair torn images. My emotional relationship with fabric goes back to my childhood. I remember spending days with my grandmother discovering fascinating materials with different colors and prints at the fabric stores. My love for bright colors comes from my everyday life back home. The use of bold multi-colored shades is considered one of the national characteristics of Latin America. I have lived battling bipolar disorder, by trying to keep it a secret, I haven’t fully accepted it; I have decided I could make it visible through my work. Through my art making I prove that living between two extremes, physically and emotionally, can be transformed into immense creative energy.

www.isagonzalezreyes.com