Bio

Karina Serapio Rendon is currently in her final semester as an MFA Candidate in Painting at Miami University College of Creative Arts, and she received her BA from the University of Saint Francis Fort Wayne in 2018. Karina was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and she immigrated with her family as a child to the United States. Through her experiences, Karina reflects on the struggles, the nuances, and humanity of first-generation immigrants and their decedents. As an artist, her artwork has been exhibited across the country at Root Division Gallery in San Francisco, California and Site: Brooklyn Gallery in New York.

Artist Statement

I am influenced by my family’s history and culture to explore the complex immigrant experience and the Mexican diaspora living within the U.S. I have been labeled as “The Other” in the U.S due to my Mexican heritage despite living here for most of my life. As an artist, I focus on my own visual culture to reclaim my identity and visualize the immigrant experience of displacement between homes. I emulate the tradition of dressmaking practiced by my foremothers by stitching, cutting, and hand printing upon the surfaces of the artwork. My foremother’s labor that has been passed down through generations has allowed for my survival as a first-generation immigrant living in the U.S. As immigrants, we make the most of what is available to us and through our labor, we create a home for future generations. Labor is a very important value to my culture, my foremothers, and the migrant experience. By honoring the labor of my ancestors, my identity may exist within the two countries I call home.

@karyrendonart