Drawing from the essence of my Maori heritage, and the knowledge that we are constantly surrounded by our tipuna (ancestors), I aimed to capture the spiritual energy that flows through all living things, in this realm and the next.
Anointed illustrates the power that comes from joining together as women, to support, care for, bless, nurture, learn, mourn with, uplift, and strengthen.
I can make visual representations of the labor that is normally invisible.
What has your art journey looked like?I’ve had to choose to be an artist all over again many times in my life. Like many, elementary school fueled my desire. But as I watched my mom support our family financially — working twelve-hour shifts at the hospital each week through my dad’s addictions — I felt the dream to be an artist slowly die in high school. Despite spending endless hours drawing, I knew I’d always do art but that being a career artist wasn’t “smart.” After all, my mom was our breadwinner and our saving grace.Faith Deconstruction, 24 x 36 […]
Art is a universal language, and creation is a part of the human experience. Everyone deserves equal access to that.
Behold You Belong is a collection of poems and art inspired by the pages of the Book of Mormon.
My photographs document and rebuild my family’s memories of loss and separation.
Silva recibió el premio Exponent II en el 2021 Certain Women Art ShowTe formaste como pintora y ahora utilizas el corte de papel como técnica. ¿Por qué el cambio?En realidad, pase al papel de forma paulatina y sin proponérmelo, fue en 2010 aprox.. Iba semanalmente a un taller a 25 km de mi casa para volver a pintar y experimentar un poco con otras técnicas. Llegaba al taller en tren y en subterráneo, pintaba en grandes formatos y terminaba siendo muy incómodo llegar con la obra intacta en subtes atestados de gente (lo hice mientras fui estudiante haciendo malabarismos con […]
Silva was the recipient of Exponent II’s Award in the 2021 Certain Women Art Show in Salt Lake City. You were trained as a painter, and now you use paper cutting as your technique. Why the shift? Actually, I went to paper gradually and without intending to — around 2010. I was attending a weekly workshop 25 km from my house to paint and experiment a little with other techniques. I traveled to the workshop by train and subway. I painted in large formats, and it ended up being very cumbersome to arrive with the work intact in crowded subways. I think the […]
What parts of your childhood/young adult life led you to illustration? I was drawing people as early as three years old. I’d create stories with the people I drew and my Tatay (dad) was always eager to hear what new adventures I had imagined. Tatay was always supportive of my artistic endeavours. I thought his support was simply that of a parent supporting their child. However, when I graduated with my BFA he wrote me a note telling me that I was “a realization of a failed dream.” That was the first time I learned that he had been accepted to […]
Exponent II provides feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
