Mike A. Lopez
Mike A. Lopez is a Mexican born artist specializing in the medium of photography. Inspired by his personal experiences as an immigrant, his work most often represents his birthplace origin combined with his current home of more than 20 years in North Texas. Currently pursuing a BFA with a focus in fine art photography from The University of Texas at Arlington, he has been photographing since 2005. He is proud to have shown his work at Dallas’ 500x annual Student Show in 2018, been selected as a featured artist in the special collaborative series with ArtTooth titled Art + Collective (2018), and represented in Fort Works Art’s First Come, First Serve juried exhibition in 2018. In addition to his showcase gallery work, Mike was the winner of the 2018-2019 Ideas in Art grant and solo exhibition show, recipient of the 2019 UTA Photo Faculty Student Grant, and a 2020 Barnett Foundation Photo Award winner.
PPE
PPE. Personal – one’s self. Protective – to safeguard against danger. Equipment – items to defend. In a few short weeks, the world has begun to shape in terms of BC and AD, Before COVID and the yet to come After the Disaster.
Everything changed so fast. It seems like in just mere moments loss became the reigning sentiment and what was a problem in the 2-dimensional world of the screens and fantasy materialized at our very doorsteps. People fell into a space of in between -- something akin to a chrysalis. Inside their walls and in their minds, there is despair, hope, fear, massive amounts of inertia, longing, anxiety and so on and so on. I too feel this space of somber reflection and fear. As an artist this is an interesting space of pause in which we are gifted with the precious commodity of time. However, all that time comes at the expense of the desire, motivation, and mental state needed to create. The focus has rightly shifted toward survival.
Survival. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. I consider myself among the lucky to still work as I have been deemed “essential”; one of the lucky to still maintain a sense of normalcy and a paycheck. But, that simple routine has changed too with the unknown danger surrounding my every step. Every surface is dangerous; the very air is too. Along with all of the added measures to maintain myself safe, packing and masking with ever trip out of the door, the pall of severe illness and possibly death are always at the forefront of my mind. As an artist I feel it’s important to be sensitive to the world, open and vulnerable but it seems to me that all of those words are from another time.
Vulnerability. It has become increasingly clear over these past six weeks of isolation and unknown, to not only protect my physical self, but my emotional and mental health. I sought to find a certain type of PPE for the inner intangible world where my creativity comes lives and breathes. A protection that allows for growth and connection. I, unlike some, am fortunate enough to face the unknown and lockdown with someone. This person appears alongside me in this series as my counterpart in life and in the exploration of intimacy and connection. This series serves to explore how in that relationship I discovered a way to emerge from the chrysalis and begin my journey as an artist towards AD 1.
AD 1. Habits are forming with the introduction of materials and practices that intentionally separate us from one another --- like plastics, masks, and gloves. Will our life and relationships alter with these new foreign objects replacing touch and connection? Is real vulnerability possible After the Disaster?