Victor Maldonado:
Excerpts from a Book I’ll Never Write
Victor Maldonado, "Escuela de Migrante", 2019, acrylic on canvas, 76"x136", Courtesy of Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
Victor Maldonado, "La Vetruvia", 2019, acrylic on canvas, 102"x78", Courtesy of Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
Victor Maldonado, "Carcel de Niños", 2018 acrylic on canvas 108"x84", Courtesy of Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
Victor Maldonado, "Mi Jefe en Su Jardin", 2018, acrylic on canvas, 102 x78", Courtesy of Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
Victor Maldonado, "Enclosure", 2018 acrylic on canvas 108"x84", Courtesy of Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
Artist Statement
I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember. It was my first language before I could speak. I learned how to draw from observation and from my imagination. I learned that I could draw portraits of my abusers and tormentors and that they would stop. That I could draw pictures of my family and friends from memory and always have them with me.
When I first started painting I didn’t know how. I made painting to teach myself how to paint and I filled my canvas with what drawing had taught me. When I learned how to make painting I became a performance artist. Now I dismantle myself through my paintings to remake myself.
Artist
Victor Maldonado