In the Studio with Miguel Torres

In The Studio

I love clay for its pliability and inherent physical memory. You can stretch and form clay in a multitude of ways; after a while the particles start to take on a habit after the way they’ve been moved. Here, I wanted to take a moment to share what moves me.
Miguel

Readings

White Girls

Written by Hilton Als. The opening essay in the book is framed by a process of memory which unfolds the author’s sense of self along with relationships throughout their lifespan. He creates a path between many emotions, memories and identities that feel so unlikely to stand next to each other. The bright contrasts are something that I find comfort to play in.

There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé

Written by Morgan Parker. Poems that reflect on her life as a black woman in America. Parker explores harsh and beautiful realities while creating new worlds away from a White gaze. The poems are a meditation I try to sit with often to focus my efforts on what feels right.

Chicana Sexuality and Gender

Written by Debra J Blake. I often struggle finding imagery within contemporary Latinx American culture that lands with me. I’m mostly attracted to Pre-Columbian and nationalist aesthetics from the 20s-30s and 19th-20th century Mexican music. This book has been helping inform how to look at that fact and interrogate why.

Artists on the top of my mind

Music

Central to my daily routine, music is more than just background noise to me. These are in no particular order (aside from the top three). Feel free to contact me for playlists I listen to and how I find new music or to introduce me to an artist I may like. Here is my playlist for a mellow day at the studio.

Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life

Christine and the Queens - La Vita Nouva

In The Studio