Today we’d like to introduce you to Yesenia Bello.
Yesenia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m originally from a town called Norristown, right outside of Philly, PA. Growing up, I spent most of my year in Norristown and then long winter breaks in Acapulco, Mexico, where both of my parents are from. I really feel that the meshing of these landscapes was formative in my upbringing – the forested, crisp yet grungy air of the North East and the exuberant yet dusty colors of Mexico.
Norristown had a bad rep – a lower income neighborhood with a rapid influx of Latinx immigrants surrounded by upper/upper-middle-class households. I was brought up in the public school system and it really amplified my sense of that negative reputation, but on the other hand it helped me to understand the types of positive movements that can arise from being looked down upon. I noticed a real sense of community among us, a real sense of people striving for more and holding each other up.
It was with this same momentum that two friends (Makeba Robinson, Anthony Bui) and I started Walla Fest- a volunteer-run music/art/vendor/food gathering that ultimately took the form of a two-day festival every summer. I was a junior in high school at the time but immediately had a yearning to collaborate with others and create space for my peers. I went on to organize Walla for five years as it took on various forms – from open mics to video screenings, to email newsletters, to artist interviews, to jam-packed two-day festivals that even traveled to Philly itself for our last couple of shows. What started from wanting to give our friends a space to perform (and ourselves something to do! That was free!) turned into an inclusive, affordable, all ages art festival that showcased the work of over 200+ emerging artists of all kinds.
By Walla’s fifth year: one of us was in New York, 1 of us was in Philly, 1 of us was in Chicago. We were all getting ready to graduate college and ready to invest time in other projects. I had moved to Chicago to attend SAIC for undergrad where I ultimately found that the most challenging and engaging conversations were happening for me in the Fiber and Material Studies department. Towards the end of my time at SAIC, I continued to make installations, sculptures and drawings, which is the work that I focus on now.
During this time, I was also simultaneously gaining experience as an administrator in artist run non-profits. I gravitated towards a development internship where I instantly became fascinated; the work felt polar to the stereotypes of being a visual artist and fundamental to the elements of being a human-sharing resources, building relationships, advocating for one another. After undergrad, I began my first job at APTP(Albany Park Theater Project), where I’ve been for the past two years. It feels good to support a group of adult and youth artists that respect one another. They form the best possible environment to take a creative risk, both individually and as part of a team.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Moving to Chicago was truly a giant leap of faith for me. I was the second in my family to go to college (I’m a younger sibling) but the first to leave home for college and certainly the first to go to art school. Just making it to college itself felt like a mountain. I, like most first-gen college bound youth, navigated much of the process myself with little real life examples. I also knew that deciding to go to SAIC was an investment in myself- a blind faith that I would ‘make it’ in some way or form. A type of success, that of course, can be nuanced and difficult to measure. Despite bumpy times, I have been lucky to always find generous people within reach.
Tell us about your art practice. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as an artist? What sets you apart from others?
I make installations, drawings, sculptures, and prints that navigate the sensations of my experience as a first generation Mexican-American. Particularly, my work responds to the slow losing of my first tongue (Spanish) and employs my whole body to make work rapidly, thinking with my hands, in constant pursuit to grasp the fleeting. I rely on plenty of material play to create my own new forms of communication, a built visual lexicon of sorts.
I recently attended an artist residency called ACRE(Artists’ Cooperative Residency & Exhibitions) where I began working with the silkscreen as a tool to explore a sense of wonder, mystery, and not knowing what exactly lies on the other side. I was able to continue this exploration at the Ox-bow Residency in the early fall and will be showing some of these works in a group show curated by Sheridan Tucker Anderson in late January. Other shows include Living Architecture at 6018 North, which explores the work of 50+ immigrant artists currently in Chicago and runs through March. I currently have a few of my drawings in the Goldfinch Gallery flatfiles and look forward to a collaborative show at Comfort Station in March with Nataliya Kotlova. For right now, I am pouring energy into my first ever solo show that will open on February 9th at Tiger Strikes Asteroid.
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
I find success through small gestures. I find success when I am actively aware and curious of the world around me. I find success in sharing with others – sometimes this looks like a gathering of people dancing to music and making new friends(Walla Fest), sometimes it looks like a young person writing something down that surprises them (APTP), sometimes it looks like watching two people approach my art and lean in, sometimes it just means sharing a meal in my home. Success to me feels like getting that nervous feeling in my stomach every now and then, acknowledging it, and knowing that it is a vital part of my growth. That having uncomfortable, sometimes ineloquent conversations is part of learning and succeeding. I intentionally do not put too much pressure on setting things like ‘5-year plans.’ Instead, I try to be present in the moments in front of me, bringing my best self when I can, pushing myself to listen to my gut and try things out. When I do those things (and not just talk about doing them) I feel successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: yeseniabello.com
- Email: askyesenia@gmail.com
- Instagram: @yeseniabello
Image Credit:
Sarah Kolish, Heather Halbert
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