Gabriela Ponce Curlango, coraza, stoneware ceramics and copper wire, 35.5 x 10.5 cm (not including ribbon), 2022

coraza, which translates to “shield,” explores my own defiant relationship with vulnerability through a reinterpretation of the Toltec “breastplate” known as La Coraza de Tula. For most of my life, I did everything I could to transform myself into a self-sufficient person that radiated strength, in order to avoid being helpless and taken advantage of. I became someone who thought I had to face everything in life alone and who kept herself from being truly known from even her most trusted companions. This came at the cost of my softer, quieter personality traits and placed a limit on the depth of my relationships with others. Like some of my other artistic contemplations, coraza is helping me confront the harmful sides of individualism and reevaluate using my natural reticence for the purpose of self-preservation. Unlike the original La Coraza de Tula armor, my smaller ceramic piece only covers my heart and contains softer elements like a ribbon clasp that is easily removable. Through its design, I focus on protecting the part of me that I am most reluctant to expose to others while at the same time alluding towards my desire to relinquish my shield and allow myself to be fully known.

Coming soon 💩