Cher Musico

28 December 2018 Sensiblity Leave a comment 2550 Views Leave review

Cher Musico

Denton, TX

BIOGRAPHY

Cher Musico (she/her/they) is a Filipinx-American interdisciplinary artist and MFA candidate at Texas Woman's University. Her interdisciplinary work explores identity, labor, and connection, especially within queer spaces and her Filipinix-American culture. She received her AAA in Visual Communication and BFA in Advertising Design from the Art Institute. With a background in branding and marketing, her career as a production artist and graphic designer, fused with her experience as a photographer and live performer, has helped influence exploring multiplicity. She's spent some time competing in local spoken word poetry slams, joining teams to compete at the former National Poetry Slam. In addition, Musico helped co-found Mustache Envy, an entertainment drag and queerlesque troupe, which she is currently the executive producer of and whose primary focus is community and social justice advocacy. Her group exhibitions include work with “Superdomestic” at Asukal Space’s virtual gallery, Dallas’ creative group, Art, Love, Magic, and live performances with Denton’s Spiderweb Salon.

Trans Lives 2019, Mixed media: fabric, embroidery, medical gauze, 60 x 46 inches, 2019

ARTIST STATEMENT

What is home? Home isn’t always so definitive; a conglomerate of layers. My pieces examine aspects of home, whether pertaining to the body, the domesticity of an apron, or even within an object hanging on a wall. In my work, I explore themes of identity, labor, and connection, frequently within queer spaces and my Filipinx-American culture.

Trans Lives 2019 is part of an on-going series about transgender murders with its focus giving a face to trans and gender non-confirming people that have been killed in the US. Red portraits embroidered on gauze, symbolize the literal and figurative bleeding that has and is happening within this community. Gauze, left white, is utilized to illustrate the delicate fabric of life. The “bleeding” continues with the red fabric backing that flows to the floor.

Miscegenation Made Me display a young image of my parents with an appropriated image of a 1930’s anti-Filipino poster. Manila envelopes namesake’s history with abaca fiber connects me to a part of my Filipino culture and a part of American history that throws away culture. We balance between these social constructs and what is true to self. Do we feel at home? Maybe sometimes we do; maybe it's a part of the questions we keep asking ourselves everyday.