Throughout the semester, we’re shining a light on the Art Department’s graduating MFA candidates as they present their final thesis exhibitions. These exhibitions are the culmination of years of dedicated study and artistic exploration, showcasing our students’ diverse talents and innovative approaches to art-making.
Mark Almanza is an interdisciplinary artist who works across a variety of mediums to explore their Chicano identity. “I create work that helps define my experiences and the questions I face as a Chicano person living under a system that has historically outcasted people like me,” they say. “Whether that’s through photography, video, book arts, or weaving, each medium aids in exploring what my identity means to me.”
Almanza’s final thesis exhibition, “Don’t Everybody Like The Smell Of Gasoline?” will be on view in UW–Madison’s Art Lofts Gallery (111 N. Frances St.) from April 21–26. A reception, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Friday, April 24, from 5 to 8 p.m.
We asked Almanza to share some insights into their work:
What inspired you to create this work?
A piece that will be in the exhibition is a handmade artist book titled “Jackhammers & Granite Slopes.” It’s a risograph-printed panoramic accordion book that unveils the construction process of the Catalina Highway in Tucson, Arizona. I lived most of my life in Arizona, specifically in Phoenix and Tucson, and that scenic highway up the Catalina Mountains has always caught my attention. I’ve always wondered about the history behind its construction. Who were the people ordered to make it all happen? How long did it take to build? This line of questioning was the beginning of the process. Then I designed, printed, intricately cut, and constructed the book to display it in its final form.
What do you hope viewers take away from your exhibition?
I hope viewers look inwards towards their dreams and find the strength to keep pursuing them regardless of the circumstances the systems in place put us in. Keep those dreams alive!