Art, Healing Practices and Ritual Activism Exist Together
“Art is such an undulating path. It’s always shifting and moving, and I think it’s kept me really flexible and mutable as a person.”
Edgar’s first experience of contemporary art, and a pivotal experience in their life, was at 14 when they discovered it via Edward Kienholz and Andy Warhol at the LA County Museum of Art.
Edgar double majored in Psychology and Studio Art at the University of California, Riverside. When they moved to Portland, Oregon, they obtained a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2013. At the same time, they organized art events for the Latinx, queer, and trans communities. “There were a lot of artists that were gatekept; excluded from art institutions and community spaces.”
In LA, Edgar had their first solo exhibition at the Vincent Price Art Museum in 2019 and was offered a two-year Artist Residency in Oklahoma. Their work was exhibited at Machine Project, LA; SOMArts, San Francisco; Oregon Contemporary, Portland; Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa; Vanderbilt University, Nashville; Performance is Alive, New York; and ArtBo, Bogotá, Colombia.
In 2020, Edgar was accepted into UC Berkeley and completed the Art Practice MFA program. At this time, their friend, Sarah Zucker, a crypto OG, invited them into the crypto art space. Edgar minted their first NFT on Rarible. “It’s been really nice to have older relationships, where friends are supporting each other as artists, come into web3. These are the values of decentralization, inclusivity, diversity, and opportunity started by Satoshi Nakamoto.”
Edgar works in photography, video art, sound, sculpture, printed textiles, GIFs, performance, social practice, and community organizing. A practicing Brujx and a descendant of the Wixárika, Edgar is included in ‘Witchcraft: The Library of Esoterica’ by Taschen Books.
“As an early adopter of the NFT community, I’ve seen the danger art poses to political systems and how this space has disrupted cultural systems in many ways. I want to imagine that hierarchies will be dissolved through decentralization and that we will create more space for people to thrive in to enable them to lean into their passion, vision, and dreams.”
This year, having moved back to LA, Edgar is producing an installation piece for the Mexicali Biennial at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture of the Riverside Art Museum. They were also invited by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to create public programming in conjunction with an exhibition. They have found a bridge between the worlds of art and therapy, and have a private practice one day a week.
“Art is such an undulating path. It’s always shifting and moving, and I think it’s kept me really flexible and mutable as a person.”
Somos Brujxs, 2022. Performance at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Los Angeles, CA curated by Alexsa Durrans and Miles Brenninkmeijer. Documentation by Rafael Hernandez.