Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Art

First Advisor

Gina Palacios

Second Advisor

Alejandra Ramirez

Third Advisor

Timothy Gonchoroff

Abstract

This thesis examines the work presented in the MFA exhibition titled Territorio Nepantla. A multidisciplinary exhibition featuring a visual exploration of the Matamoros and Rio Grande Valley borderlands through the perspective of a Mexican transfronteriza traversing the Matamoros – Brownsville border. The feminist Chicana theory of nepantla, a word from Nahuatl origin meaning “in-between” is central to the exhibition. Scholar Gloria Anzaldua defines the borderlands as a nepantla space, a liminal space where art and la frontera intersect. Nepantla represents the in-betweenness beyond physicality. A nepantla space can be emotional, spiritual, sexual, linguistical and more. This body of work focuses on a physical and an emotional nepantla space. Representational imagery of the border wall and an international bridge is presented through textiles, photography and multimedia installations. Depictions of an emotional nepantla are showcased in printmaking works, exploring themes of identity, cultural mestizaje and process of Americanization. This thesis will also cover research done through a project titled Resistencia Fronteriza, exploring the intersectionality of border identities and political issues through community engaged workshops and events.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Michel Valeria Flores Tavizón. https://proquest.com/docview/3240611344

Download

Included in

Fine Arts Commons

Share

COinS