The Art Gallery of North Carolina
“I describe my painting as nostalgic, and they often represent my hometown of Cheran, my people and the customs of my town. I make these elements universal so that others can relate to them.”
In recent years NC’s has experience rapid growth. Between 1990 and 2018 this community grew from 76,000 to 997,000 people. As N.C. Latin American community expands, its various forms of artistic expression focus on issues of immigration, borders – crossing, and cultural stereotyping, topics frequently at the forefront of personal and political experience.
From most Latin American artists, their creative works are inseparable from the social, educational, and political goals of their communities, for which they often serve as advocates. Cornelio Campos, an immigrant to Durham N.C. from Cheran in the region of Michoacan, Mexico incorporates such tensions into his works in an attempt to explain what he feels is being misunderstood about people who immigrate to the U.S.
Featured Collection
The art collection is very special to me given that I express and develop symbols of my Purepecha culture; through which I display some Pre-Columbian symbols and symbols currently used to decorate a garment or kitchen utensil. Sometimes I combine both in my own style. My purpose with art is to explore and share the roots of my Purepecha culture.
The symbology is mostly Indigenous; yet through the colonization of México and Michoacán it is known that through the years it has varied in certain things due to the Spanish, Mestiza and Criolla influence on the Purepecha region. However it is still unique. These are not only crafts, they are also symbols of the roots embedded or embroidered in typical things that are used on the daily by the Purepecha community.
