HELGA MENDOZA: NOVENA A LO SAGRADO (NOVENA TO THE HOLY)

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Helga Mendoza moved to the United States in 1999 to complete an MFA at Florida State University, where she focused on video installations, printmaking, and mixed media. She was awarded the FSU Graduate Student Excellence in Visual Arts Fellowship in 2003.

After completing her studies, Helga moved to Birmingham, AL where she became involved with Bare Hands Inc. and The Day of the Dead Festival as an artist and volunteer, and in 2015 became the Artistic Director of the festival until 2020. Her work has been shown in local and international art shows and she is an active member of Paperworkers Local and the art community in Birmingham. Helga has been teaching art to children for 20 years, and currently teaches art at Highlands School.

About the Exhibition: My work consists of mixed media installations influenced by my personal experience with death/loss, my religious upbringing, and my Colombian roots, inspired by the literary genre of Magic Realism.

This show “Novena to the Holy” (Novena a lo Sagrado) is a plea to reconsider our current human-centered view of the world, and instead understand Earth and the World not only as a physical place but as a spiritual being as well.   

The opening reception will be held Thursday, June 9, 2022, from 6 pm to 8 pm at PaperWorkers Local. The show closes Saturday, July 30, 2022.