The Californian-based artist Anna Valdez discovered her skill for art-making on a trip far from home, an archeology excavation trip to Ireland. Here she was encouraged to keep a sketchbook, creating scale drawings and maps of the site. Through visual reinterpretations of these “abandoned sites”, she explored the connection between anthropological and artist methods of cataloging and record keeping. Working in mediums such as painting, drawing, printmaking, collages, and digital media, Anna Valdez examines the relationship between material and cultural identity, using domestic objects such as plants, textiles, vessels, and keepsakes as a method of storytelling.
