Gina Herrera

During my creative process, I allow unconventional materials to dictate my method of construction, transforming trash into a symbolic tribute to nature. By manipulating found materials into various forms and possibilities, I want each sculpture to pay tribute to Mother Earth as a living being. As I am working, I sense her depressed state and loneliness as we are burdening her with more trash to digest. This inspires me to show garbage as a living being, just as Mother Earth is alive, and which evokes a haunting spiritual presence. Each solitary sculptural being questions our connection with our surrounding world and our daily existence. Thus the humble discarded objects they are made from are not to be forgotten, but act as a continual reminder of what we are imposing on Mother Earth, which will forever haunt us.

Born in 1969, Gina Herrera was raised in Chicago and currently resides in California. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In the course of her studies, she was deployed oversees in support of several war contingencies with the United States Army. Once her final tour was complete, she obtained her Master of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. During her time as a graduate student, she was awarded a Provost Fellowship, a MFA scholarship and nominated for the Joan Mitchell MFA Foundation Award in 2012. Herrera is a current member of Los Angeles Art Association and was a Showcase Winner in Round 1 in Art Slant 2013.