Vick Quezada

Photos: Vick Quezada

Vick Quezada (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist who works at the intersection of Indigenous-Latinx histories and queer knowledge. These histories and aesthetics are the vehicle and source-material for criticism and questioning of Western structures that have caused harm to Indigenous peoples and the planet as a whole. They look at history not only as an archive of the harm that has been caused, but also to draw upon the many instances of beauty and pleasure, especially in Indigenous and queer communities. Working from an Aztec-Nahuan two-spirit¹A term used by some Native Americans to describe a third gender. Two-spirit people are often of cultural and ceremonial importance within Native communities. tradition, the cultural and political tie into the ecological and organic, embedding us all into the cosmos.

Quezada is a Rascuache²A practice originating from Mexican-American communities centered around reuse and repurposing objects and found material. Either out of financial necessity or as an act of empowerment and resistance in the face of Western capitalism. artist, meaning they repurpose found objects and materials. Rascuache is not only an art form, but a survivalist skill originating out of financial necessity in Mexican-American communities. When viewing Rascuache engineering as a form of survival and resistance, it becomes a tool for Quezada to reconcile with the post-colonial settler world they navigate, creating an alternate world of erotic power and joy.

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