Michael Marinez

Michael Marínez, born, raised and re-delivered to San Antonio, Tejas, is a visual artist, installation artist, cultural worker, activist, and performance artist (in remission).

Through his work with the folk and gente in his hometown, Michael has come to love and respect the stories, the spirit, and the memories shared by his people. For him, these are embodied in the idea of “San Quilmas,” the other identity of San Antonio as shared by elders.  San Quilmas is for them the cultural, social, and spiritual heart of San Antonio’s past, and thus has the power to mend, to heal, to give joy and bring hope for its future.

Through his journey, Michael has come to understand the importance of memory, the value of ritual, the joy of process, the spirit of craft, the beauty of gardens, the endless lives of simple materials. These basic discoveries inform and transform his work.  It is through these lenses that sugar-coated pansies become the bodies of young men lost to the AIDS pandemic; where yarn and broomsticks tell stories of the journey; where kites fashioned from recycled aluminum cans embody unanswered prayers; where ojos de dios regain their true meaning as gifts of blessing from parent to newborn child; where AZT strung into necklaces become the precious jewels of a new generation.

¡Que Viva San Quilmas! ¡Que Viva San Antonio!