Vanessa Wallace-Gonzales is a Black-Latinx and Santa Barbara, California native artist who uses elements of mythology to explore her identity and personal experiences. She began this exploration during her attendance at the Maryland Institute College of Art and carried it on in exhibitions in Oxnard, Ventura and Los Angeles, California, New York City, Baltimore, Maryland, and Florence, Italy.
Vanessa Wallace-Gonzales is attracted to mythology because it rides the line of reality and fantasy to tell the story of a people. Her passion has brought her to think of her own creation. With all the nuances that form her identity, Vanessa has come to begin thinking of herself not just as one but a universe of beings in which the entirety is her. Her works consist of figures built from collaging transparent paper, insects, bugs, flowers, leaves while simultaneously playing with body language, distortion, and metaphor. In a visual language exploring the expanses of the human body and mind, a vibrant color palette and organic materials, Vanessa attempts to navigate the complex, imperfect yet beautifully kaleidoscopic nature of a people and thus herself.