Ysabel Flores Art

I am a Floridian artist currently residing in Tallahassee. I am primarily a painter, but I love experimenting with a variety of non-traditional methods and media. Growing up, I spent a lot of my time observing my surroundings through drawing and painting. During my time at Seminole State College, I gained a deep appreciation for the visual arts and Western art history. Continuing my education at Stetson University allowed me to connect my knowledge of the materials to discuss contemporary issues. I have also had multiple opportunities to actively engage with my community by teaching art to children, displaying work at local galleries (like Jeanine Taylor Folk Art/Gallery on First), and teaming up with other artists to create public art and participate in group shows.  Currently, I am pursuing my graduate degree through Florida State University’s MFA program to gain a deeper connection between my research and art.

My current artistic practice examines the systems that shape our human perceptions of the world and of ourselves. Born in the US as a Filipino American, separated from my ancestral homeland of the Philippines, I examine the systems that shape, inform, and mediate my attention for it. I borrow nostalgia from immigrant family members, channeling their memories and actions to instill a deeper, more intimate sense of cultural heritage beyond mere textual descriptions of it. In my work, I recount the foods I grew up with, I remember the accents and languages spoken by relatives, and I work through the greenery of my surrounding American landscape to navigate this identity of entangled cultures.