DIANE VERA-UREÑO
MFA ’26 Fine Arts Low-Residency
I am a multi-disciplinary artist who works with printmaking, painting, video, photography and earth-based materials. My practice explores themes of duality, displacement and belonging. These themes are informed by lived experiences, observations, and the landscape of the borderlands in the Chihuahuan Desert. Borders physically and metaphorically are a great place to break boundaries. I explore the use of non-human objects and organic material to seek parallels in my observations of living and working in the desert. I am currently investigating cacti in different states of decay that were uprooted through construction. By using these organic materials and non-human objects, I seek parallels between ecological shifts and the human condition of social and political alienation. I approach the themes of duality and displacement through cycles of contracting and expanding, like breathing, living and dying. Through an ecofeminist lens, I am seeking how narratives unfold in community and resilience. My creative process is an energetic exchange, a push and pull between my internal intuition and the energy of the desert’s resilience.
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Diane Vera-Ureño is a multidisciplinary artist based in the El Paso borderlands, drawing inspiration from the Chihuahuan Desert and her lived experiences. Her practice spans printmaking, painting, installation, bedazzling and organic materials. Her work has shown at the Southwest Print Fiesta, Galeria de Senecu, and Raices Taller. Diane has received numerous grants for her artist investigations. She has her BA and MA from the University of Texas at El Paso, and her MFA from MassArt, Boston. She holds the record for most dead plants.
