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Antonio Serna is a Mexican-American artist, visual researcher, and educator currently living and working in San Antonio, TX. His work focuses on the intertwined relationships between visual culture, socio-political history, and personal narratives. His two most recent studio projects are The Same Sun/Calendar, a multimedia meditation on deep time and place, and Documents of Resistance which focuses on the history of art and activism of artists of color. He has exhibited in New York, Texas, Las Vegas, Spain, Mexico, Berlin, Croatia, and Taiwan.
Antonio’s art projects and collaborative work have been included in the following books: Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities, Duganne, Erina and Abigail Satinsky, (Eds.), Inventory Press, 2022. Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest by Laura Raichovich, Verso Books, 2021. Making and Being: Embodiment, Collaboration, & Circulation in the Visual Arts by Caroline Woolard, Susan Jahoda, BFAMFAPHD. New York: Pioneer Works Press. 2020. Art As Social Action: An Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Teaching Social Practice Art by Gregory Sholette, Chloe Bass, Social Practice Queens. New York: Allworth Press, 2018. Reflecting on Reconstructing Practice: Toward an Anti-racist Art & Design Field by Lauren Willaims. Pasadena, CA : Antiracist Classroom/ArtCenter, 2018
Antonio Serna studied art in New York City and Amsterdam. He holds a Master in Fine Arts from The City University of ... view more »
Resume (PDF)
Work Samples (PDF)
MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST
Artist Style: Teaching Artist/Instructor: Guest Speaker, Multi-Day Artist Residency, Workshop Presenter; Visual Art: Conceptual, Contemporary, Documentary, Experimental, Political, Site-Specific, Social Commentary
Artist Medium: Colored Pencil; Computer; Drawing Media; Oil; Photography; Watercolor
Artist Statement of Work
Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):
I maintain a studio practice and a collective practice. For me, these realms are reciprocal: the manifestation of creativity in the cultural realm is the guiding spirit towards liberation in the socio-political realm, and vice versa. Backed with this philosophy, I am a strong advocate for autonomy and self-determination within the cultural and socio-political realms. Being active and cognizant in both realms is crucial to my production as an artist. Currently, I have two main studio projects. The first project is called The Same Sun, which is a series of video narratives that weave together personal and historic sites over deep-time calendric maps (350 to 65 million years ago).These video narratives reveal and destabilize imperial-colonial narratives both past and present.The second project I am currently working on is Documents of Resistance, an extensive art/research project that focuses on the history of art and activism by artists of color from the 1960s to the present. Documents of Resistance seeks to give contours to a cultural history that remains scattered and unwritten.
I am currently looking to expand Documents of Resistance to include a research archive, 3-dimensional and time-based work, as well as more site-specific spaces both indoors and outdoors by way of research and community workshops.
