Gina Herrera collects and uses trash as a never ending source of unconventional material for her sculpture. As a Harpo Fellow at Vermont Studio Center, where she was described as a catalyst among her community of fellow residents, the artist made the work featured below using found material collected from the area.
In a statement about her work, Gina explains, “By manipulating found materials into various forms and possibilities, I want each sculpture to pay tribute to Mother Earth as a living being. As I am working, I sense her depressed state and loneliness as we are burdening her with more trash to digest. This inspires me to show garbage as a living being, just as Mother Earth is alive, and which evokes a haunting spiritual presence. Each solitary sculptural being questions our connection with our surrounding world and our daily existence. Thus the humble discarded objects they are made from are not to be forgotten, but act as a continual reminder of what we are imposing on Mother Earth, which will forever haunt us.”
Gina Herrera was raised in Chicago and resides in California. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. and has served time oversees on several tours with the United States Army. Once her final tour was complete, she obtained her Master of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She is a Provost Fellow, a Joan Mitchell MFA Foundation Award nominee, and was awarded Showcase Winner for Round 1, 4, 6 and 8 for Art Slant 2013.