Marissa Baez
Marissa Alise Baez was born in 1997 in Houston, Texas. Based in the United States, Baez is a multidisciplinary artist interested in memory, ephemerality, identity, and the body. They studied Sculpture in the Department of Visual Art at Texas Woman’s University and graduated with a BFA in May 2019. Baez graduated with an MFA at Penn State School of Visual Arts in 2021. Baez has exhibited nationally and internationally in Mexico City. Currently, they teach in Sculptures and Foundations at Penn State University. Death, history, ancestry, material, and decolonization strongly influence my work. I connect these paths to explore third-space identity. Learning and talking with Lipan Apache elder Dr. Eloisa Tamez inspired me to research more about Texas history and the absent truths. Some people still carry knowledge passed down through oral histories, and should not be overlooked. This led me to weave family narratives into my cosmology. I have been searching for the origin of private spiritual practices passed down in my family from my maternal grandmother. I encountered a path full of patches when exploring my family's past. Each year I make a trip back to Texas to Interview family members still alive. Through the interviews I learned that limpias(cleansings) played a significant role for my grandmothers family. Ash is a material that is constantly seen throughout my work. I view this material as a portal for mediumship, and a way to reconnect with the past and my ancestors. This material is equivalent to tool used for limpias, altered in a way that benefits my practise. My relationship with exploring death is not solely focused on the external imagery typically associated with decay. Death is transformative and is another manifestation of longing, reconnecting, and healing. Death is just another form of the tree root I often refer to when verbally communicating with others about my work. An alternative way to approach the tree root is through rhizomatic thinking. Similar to my methods of creating, my research paths are endless.
