artist bio
Karla Orozco (they/them) is a fat, queer, trans, Chicanx artist based in the San Gabriel Valley. As a ceramicist, they create abstracted figurative art that explores body neutrality, ancestral memory, and connection to the natural world. They are currently pursuing an Associate of Arts degree at Pasadena City College with a concentration in ceramics.
artist statement
I make abstracted, figurative ceramic sculptures that reflect my Mexican heritage, queer and transness, and fat body. My sculptures depict culturally significant plants, parts of the fat body with body hair and the blending of both. My work explores fat liberation through my relationship to the Earth. Being deeply influenced by nature, I use color schemes, motifs and form to translate my ideas.
At the core of my practice are hand-built techniques, hand-coiling being the base of most of my forms. Pinching and sculpting often complement the central forms that I start with, adding texture and symbolism. When I am able to, I use reclaimed clay as an ode to sustainability.
In the age of global climate crisis and popularity of glp-1’s, highlighting humans inherent connection to nature is a call to reflect on how we may shift our current relationship to the Earth, and our bodies, to one that mends the imbalance we are all experiencing. Witnessing my relatives respect for the Earth, and creating a relationship to it myself is how my cultural values live through my work. And so, at the heart of my work is the belief that I have a responsibility to honor my family members sacrifices, keep culture alive, and reconnect to the Earth.
