Fidencio Martinez-Perez

Fidencio Martinez-Perez work speaks to the idea of “home”. Fidencio was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, but was raised in North Carolina after his family migrated. The DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Program an executive order enacted by Obama in July 2012, allowed him the ability to drive and to work legally without fear of deportation. DACA also allowed Fidencio to receive funding to pursue his masters at the University of Iowa in Fall 2013. For comfort he surrounded himself with potted plants to create a sense of contentment and security during his travels to a new home, the Midwest.

His current work examines immigration, the drug war, and socio­economic issues affecting Mexico. In his work, Fidencio manipulates newspaper cuttings, maps, paper, and painting surfaces to refer to the crafts and customs taught to him as a toddler in Oaxaca – ones used to celebrate festivals and mourn the dead. For Martinez these techniques are a way to reconnect with a time and place no longer present.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website