Paraiso is a self-portrait of Reyes and her two daughters in their own world. Their own paradise. After everything the three have been through in their young lives together, the painting is intended to portray the safe space they are creating together in their own world. Their own paradise. 

Paraiso 

"The Gardner" is a piece dedicated to Reyes' Abeulita, Maria Castillo. In her early life, she planted the garden alone. She took pieces from her home and rerooted them in America after leaving behind her old life to create a better one for her children. The fabric background is intended to resemble how she is fabricating her old life into her new one, and like a blanket, she is hoping to cover her family with the promise of a better future. 

The Gardner

"Guera" is a portrait created to portray genuine happiness from within. 

It is a portrait of Reyes’ mother in the beginning stages of her new relationship with her fiancé (Reyes’s father) after leaving an abusive marriage. 

The blue flowers that are growing from “Guera” are purposely chosen as they symbolize peace, tranquillity, and serenity which is rooted in her new healthy relationship. Her growth as an individual finding safety and happiness in herself and her new love, are paired purposely with vibrant colors to match the feelings of gratitude expressed. The portrayal of genuine happiness and peace fills the canvas to convey new life and joy, while the lone, white flower signifies that our past pains that are still felt inside can blossom into something more beautiful with time.

Guera

"Teen mom" is a piece highlighting several topics and the inequalities young women are experiencing in terms of religion, community, and the controversy in the healthcare climate. With Religion, Saint Mary has been deemed a sacred motherly icon and is adorned, yet in reality, young mothers are ostracized and ridiculed, given limited resources, and shunned in society. The contrast in treatment within communities, cultures, and religions is telling on the treatment and support young women are withheld from receiving including the ability to choose themselves first. I wanted to address this topic as I was a teen mother myself. I want other young women in these circumstances to still have the ability to see themselves as someone special and sacred who deserves humanity and grace with whatever choices are made.

Teen Mom 

"Rooted" is the beginning and middle piece created a part of my solo show titled "In the Garden where I grow". Focused on the aspect of being uprooted and having to replant yourself in a better foundation in order to grow and thrive. The act of growing and the continuation of it is a major key point in the human experience and not exclusive to the artist' personal journey of healing but one that transcends into connecting with others who experience the need to reroot and grow in a better environment. 

Rooted

This is the story of my abuelo and abuela, who created a beautiful legacy of their love. It has transcended time and passed to each generation in my family. A testimony of exploration, endurance, and true unity. 

The beginning roots of my family. Where the seeds were planted. Where the love first grew. This is their story. This is my story

The piece has 9 seeds or raindrops to symbolize their 9 children they planted together. Two of which are not filled in due to them unfortunately passing. The subtle plants in the background represent new roots the couple planted together and it’s emerging growth. The dove a symbol of hope and new life. This piece is in honor of the life my grandparents started together, and the love they created like many other families. 

La Union

In the Garden is a piece featuring Reyes' late abuelita "ama" . The painting is a part of a series for Joy's current solo show surrounding planting your roots and nurturing the garden where you're from. 

In the Garden 

Grandmother flower [Pulsatilla koreana] that lives in a hive 

Cowboy Cupid is a piece inspired by my life in Texas. The artwork has elements inspired from my days on the dance drill team. This shown through the images depicting southern dance culture, and other elements of the south.

Cowboy cupid

This artwork is based off of humanities ability to survive constant war and destruction throughout the years, while adapting to what future apocaylpses we might cause by our own devices. I wanted to create a piece that took elements from wars of our past, that appear to still be prevalent in our current social climate.

We will not surrender 

"Boxed Chocolates" is a piece centered around small acts of intimacy and romantic gestures that we often associate with love.

Boxed chocolates

Humanities quest to find hope and peace is directly intertwined to the comfort we find in faith, and the idea that there is something greater than us to believe in. That of course could mean multiple things unique to the individual, that might stray away from this. 
However, the painting highlights the major elements we often find when searching to cling to something.  Just as individuals often turn to religion to find answers/peace in times of emotional desperation. The symbolisms represented in the painting are key elements involved in Christian faith that are significant in depicting hope, and promises of keeping faith through transgressions.

Something to cling to 

“Luchador Legends” is a painting focused on traditional Mexican wrestling, and the culture behind the fighting performances. The pieces has several iconic wrestlers featured in the painting, as well as words and images that symbolize the power and significance of wrestling as a whole.

Luchador Legends

Stay Close To Me

Short description:
„Ivan“ is showing a male body in a fetus like position.
His head and face are made out of „squiggly“ lines, which represent his confused thoughts.
It shows that men also have problems and they are taught to not be vulnerable and barely emotional. Men should be able to show emotion as much as women are and they need to, so they can develop a healthy relationship with themselves and others. 

Medium: black pen on white paper
Size: A5 


Ivan

Korean Conception Dreams version.2
2019
Multi-dimensional 
(approximately 36.5(H) x 15(W) x 25(D) cm, 42(H) x 19(W) x 19(D) cm, 71(H) x 40(W) x 22(D) cm, 25(H) x 33(W) cm)
Fabric, dried chilly peppers, latex, and bells

I presented the archetype of a daughter and a son in Korea, especially that in my grandmother’s age, through two different artworks: Korean Conception Dreams version 1 and 2.

Regarding ‘Korean conception dreams version2,' the standing sculpture manifests the authority that you naturally have because you were born as a male. Let me make an example by quoting an old saying, “Man is a column in a house," which remarks the importance of having a man in a house. Additionally, I would like to mention this “funny story," when family eat fried chicken, mother says “The chicken wings are for daughters and the chicken legs are for sons!” (probably the chicken body would be gone for a father, then what does a mother eat? The neck of chicken). The reason for this unfair split can be found from which family woman will be belonged after marriage. Married women have to take part in husband’s family events, instead of going to her family events, particularly for new year’s day and thanksgiving day. In the past, people read the occurrence as daughters are people who will leave this family, therefore, I assume that giving chicken wings to daughters meant their leaving after their marriage. The chilly peppers in the head part of the sculpture are the one of the emblematic elements of the conception dreams for a son. Also, the word in Korean pronounces same as ‘penis’ in Korean, which I found it hilarious.

To clarify the connection between my work and the theme of ‘material hybrids,' I would like to state how latex, a core material of my art practice, was used in this work and my use of symbolic materials embodying cultural narratives, such as the chilly peppers and twisted fabrics. In ‘Korean Conception Dreams version.2,' latex was combined with fabrics and chilly peppers, and respectively, the combinations resulted in changes of texture and form. When latex was absorbed to the fabrics, the colour of gold fabric became more vivid and the colour of other fabrics turned to be slightly yellowish. Not only the colour changed but also the softness of fabrics transformed to a state of firm; in the combination between latex and chilly peppers, latex worked as a glue connecting each chilly pepper to stay collective and add a shiny feature on them. To sum up, the meaning of ‘material hybrids’ in my art practice is a method to create idiosyncratic shapes and odd aura by converting original natures of materials, and I believe it was shown through my work, 'Korean Conception Dreams version.2.'


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