Queens artist explores Hispanic identity

A number of artists throughout Queens are also finding new avenues to explore and share their Hispanic identity. This includes Jaclyn Burke, a Native American and Mexican American artist based in Middle Village.
“I started to sell work and do commissions a lot more in the last two years,” said Burke. “I would say within the last two years I’ve learned and grown tremendously. I am now very aware of what kind of work I’m most passionate about creating and know how important art is not just for me but for creating community.”
Burke’s work is currently on display at the Fashion Institute of Technology in a new show entitled “Enroute”.
“I curated the show in honor of Hispanic Heritage month,” she said. “There are paintings, photographs, and fashion designs by fellow Hispanic and Latinx creators I’ve met at the Fashion Institute of Technology over the years.
“One of my favorite works in the show is by Guadalupe Perez,” she added. “She’s an artist who creates these whimsical paintings that are so surreal.”
Burke experiments with multi-media relating to her life, identity, mental health, human body, and emotional experience.
“Last year I was recently diagnosed with auto-immune diseases and found that that has affected my art-making process in a surprisingly positive way,” Burke shared. “I find that large movements and gestures are an enjoyable and gentle process on my body.”
Burke’s video piece “Roll the Dice” is the perfect example of the relationship that she has with her art. She shared that the title of the series relates to her life, as she “never knows how she’ll wake up feeling, and essentially it’s a ‘roll of the dice.’”
Burke is currently working on a project that combines a variety of mediums that include large-scale painting, drawing, installation, and performance.
“Hopefully it will create an immersive, and transitional experience for the viewer,” she said.