Amber Robles-Gordon

 The Temples of My Familiars

Collage, 2019

The Temples of My Familiars series is about the intersections between my identity, the diverse visual languages in my artwork and the narratives they reference. The title is most definitely borrowed from the 1989 Alice Walker novel, The Temple of My Familiar.  A womanist narrative about several women of color and their evolutionary process to know self, their identity and their struggle for happiness within a patriarchal society. 

However, I chose the title because of the distinct visual reference my sculptural geometric-like renderings took on once I inverted them.  They became temples, a place of spiritual practice and sacrifice in which I could place my familiars —my visual languages. A place where they could be re-rooted, re-formulated, and take on a new life. 

Being an artist has facilitated a very specific type of data collection, visual documentation, analysis and a vast array of methods of self-expression and personal exploration regarding issues that concern me.  During a recent journey through past work, contemplations, beginnings and endings; I encountered fragments of myself. These fragments vibrated silently, yet continuously, like piercing questions waiting to be answered. The various languages beckoned and bemoaned to be unified.  Once combined, the equations gracefully revealed themselves in harmony. Each artwork, 18 x 24 in, mixed media collage, within the series begins with title The Temples of My Familiars and then has a distinct sub-title.