Artist Christina Fernandez explores migration, gender and Mexican-American identity in her photography. Fernandez’s exhibition at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, titled “Multiple Exposures,” showcases a collection of her best works over the last 30 years.
“It’s one of the few times you’re going to be able to see the entire series as a whole, because all of this work has been exhibited in other museums and different shows, but not the entire series,” she said. “So you’ll get a sense of who I am as an artist, as a photographer, and the concerns that I’ve addressed and photographic approaches that I’ve taken to subject matter over time.”
Fernandez said her work over the last several years has tackled a variety of different subjects, but generally, they have a unifying spirit.
“The overall themes of my work are the lives of women, especially Chicana, Latinx women, their family life and historical figures,” she said.
Making art was instrumental in Fernandez’s understanding and exploring her sense of identity. She’s hopeful viewers are able to do the same upon experiencing her work.
“The work that seems to really resonate with a lot of people sort of across the board is my series ‘Maria’s Great Expedition,’ which is about my great-grandmother and her immigration story,” she said. “I hope they’re inspired by the stories that I tell through my photographs and inspired to do some creative work of their own, about perhaps their family or their immigration story.”
Much of the work featured in “Multiple Exposures” has been available to audiences for some time, but Fernandez said the exhibition is an opportunity to get to experience her photography in a rare and more meaningful way.
Seeing photography in person is really important, Fernandez said. “Online, you don’t get the sense of the scale nor the detail of the work. So I always advocate for seeing photography in person.”
“Multiple Exposures” is on view on the second floor of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth until July 9.
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