At first, as the name suggests, this was meant to be “yet another art” blog. But as I visited exhibitions and cultural events, I decided to pursue something more personal.

Indeed, in the contemporary art arena, the range of reading material is as varied as it is comprehensive. And yet, what compelled me to start this was the lack of passionate and personal voices. Coming from an academic background, we are constantly taught the great value of objectivity; we are encouraged to focus on form and theory rather than on the effect produced by art. But is there such a thing as objective writing? Does writing have to be so dispossessed?

I was first drawn to art because of what it provoked in me—I felt connected to a greater whole and somehow acknowledged. Art has taught me politics and philosophy, but also how to be more empathetic and affectionate. It has given me community and the strength to voice my concerns. This space is intended to contest obsolete views of what art is and where it should go. Knowing enough about the fabric of this world, I do not intend to change people’s positions, but rather to assert mine and share them with you.

For a few years now, I’ve been reconnecting with my cultural heritage, and while I consider myself Mexican above all, I’ve noticed that my education in the West has deeply predetermined my centers of interest. Thus, my essays and exhibition reviews focus mainly on artists building worlds in the Global South, as we need to shed light on other forms of thought, other forms of communication, and other ways of being. And while Spanish is also a language of colonizers, I intend to write my forthcoming essays in it, for it is my mother tongue.

Quiero terminar con una invitación: a toda persona que se sienta identificade con mis palabras, escríbame. Seas artista o no, me interesa dialogar y confabular nuevos posibles. 

Milena Estrada