“I always have something to say. I feel like I came out of the womb as an artist with something to say” Christina Fernandez expressed.
With over 30 years of experience in photography, exploring themes of her Mexican American heritage, Professor Christina Fernandez was highlighted and recognized by ARTnews as one of the 75 Latinx artists who have shaped the art world as we know it today.
This shows how influential her work is to her community while she continues to showcase her experiences of life in several art institutions around the country.
“My parents were influential in my photography career because they were activists. They gave me a point of view that is very apparent in my work. The structure of work, life and gender was something that I was very interested in growing up because of my parents’ activism” said Fernandez.
The inspiration from her parents’ activism led her to pursue higher education by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in studio arts from UCLA and her master’s degree in studio arts with a concentration in photography from CalARTS. Then she went on to become a photography professor at Cerritos College in 2001.
As an educator, Christina has always been an advocate for helping her students get to the next point in their educational career when transitioning to a four-year university.
“When I recognize talent and see dedication in a student I encourage them to continue with their work at a four-year university. Some of them want to do fashion or even commercial photography, so I always encourage them to transfer to photography programs for a four-year degree,” said Fernandez.
Being an artist comes with its ups and down but not for professor Fernandez as she has consistently been unapologetic about her work as an artist.
She has constantly broken down barriers by showcasing her powerful experiences through the lens of her personal life, Mexican American heritage, immigration and labor.
One of her most memorable pieces of work “Maria’s Great Expedition” was released in 1995. Which is homage to her great-grandmother María González who migrated to the United States from Mexico.
“It’s about the story of her life. I’m posing as her in the photographs and mostly because we didn’t have any photos of her. I decided to pose as her because I was named after and I was told I look like her. The six photographs are displayed with a map of her journey and also bilingual text that talks about her travels and the context of where women and immigrants were at. “ Fernandez expressed.
Maria’s Great Expedition has been collected by numerous museums around the country like the Princeton University Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Getty Museum.
“Many major museums have purchased this work because I think they believe it relates to a lot of people’s experience with immigration. Also, I think I take a lot of pride in being able to use a family story that is so relatable for many people” Professor Fernandez explained.
Fernandez’s work has not been unnoticed with one of her art pieces “BEND” being featured in the new art exhibition, Shifting Landscapes at The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
The art exhibition has been open since Nov. 1, 2024 and is set to open through Jan. 2026.
