Minga Opazo

Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Artist statement

I am a fourth-generation, Chilean textile crafter living in the U.S., who explores the relationship between climate change, contemporary textile production, and Chilean textile history and design. Traditionally, textiles start from raw natural materials which are then woven together to create shelter and protection from nature. During the industrial revolution, the process accelerated as traditional techniques that used natural dyes and looms were replaced by machines and dehumanizing the assembly lines. This shift created unsustainable, chemically infused garments, which can no longer recede back into the natural world. My woven works explore these shifts from traditional culture to postmodernism to unbridled globalism. In my work, I question the textile industry by creating a series of cultural works that explore the idea of solastalgia, a term which describes the mental or existential distress caused by environmental change and living in an era of excess, constantly consuming and throwing away. According to my research, only 15% percent of the used clothing donated to thrift shops in the US is actually sold. The other 85% is sent to other countries, like Chile, where the majority goes into landfills in the desert, where it is buried or burned. The cycle of our ancient textile industry is broken from beginning to end. I am dedicated to researching and studying this industry further and to creating work that exposes, reflects, and finds a solution to the current situation...

Artwork