With fellow artist Porfirio Gutierrez, Dakota Mace discusses the inspiration behind her latest exhibition that she explores through a wide-ranging interdisciplinary practice. With insights from his own research into dyeing techniques, Gutierrez will examine with Mace the intersections of their practices.

Porfirio Gutiérrez is a Zapotec American textile artist based in Ventura, California. He uses traditional Zapotec technology of dyes and materials and redefines Zapotec weaving language to create works that communicates contemporary experiences and the the complexity of the Americas today.

Gutiérrez’s expertise is based on a family legacy of treadle loom weaving and ancestral knowledge of organic materials and seasonal cycles that result in an unlimited palette of natural colors. He departs from traditional woven motifs in his compositions, exploring the boundaries of his own creative expression and distinct experiences. Through his practice, he asks us to rethink narrow definitions of contemporary art and Indigeneity. While in Zapotec there is no word for “artist” as an occupation, there is a long held concept of valuing those who hold wisdom within their community. Gutiérrez's interpretation of ancestral weaving techniques and motifs opens a new dialogue in the imposed dialectic of art versus craft, which he sees as serving little purpose in furthering contemporary Indigenous creative expression. Breaking with that tradition is where he finds ultimate freedom as an artist.