Today we’d like to introduce you to Yusimy Lara.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Yusimy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
What it took to become an artist.
I was born in Cuba and raised in Havana city during the scarce ’80s and ’90s. Attended a hospitality school there, and years later, worked as a medical assistant in Italy for almost a decade. My background was not art related.
By the time I arrived in the United States, I was already 32 years old and restarting my life from scratch. Like any immigrant, I had to go through the difficult process of getting legal status and becoming a US citizen. It took a lot of time, money and tears, but it was worth it.
For years, I waited for the moment to enroll at Miami Dade College. Dreaming about new career opportunities became a point of reference for my future. Art had always been in my soul, so I decided to go back to school at 34 and study Art, sculpture, crazy ah? Best decision I’ve ever made.
After almost six years (a month ago), I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from New World Schools of the Arts and delivered my Valedictorian speech! My sculptures are already receiving attention in Miami’s vibrant art scene; I couldn’t be any happier.
Would you mind sharing your artist statement with our readers?
Yusimy Lara is a sculptor based in Miami. Her work is a visual exploration of ideas about connectivity and interdependence between man-made and nature. Her sculptural assemblages of organic and inorganic materials reference synergistic interactions between living things and their environment. Lara also addresses time-based natural processes such as erosion, decomposition, and sedimentation. Her amorphous creations symbolize organism-habitat bonds and invite the viewer to reflect on abstract subjects such as matter transformation and provenance.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Running barefoot around Pinar del Rio’s valley, trying to feed and pet the local fauna.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yusimylara.com
- Phone: 7863265304
- Email: miami.emerging.artists@gmail.com
- Instagram: @terrenocomun
Image Credit:
Nicole Mijares (my personal image)
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