Julia Csekö

Csekö was born in Colorado and grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2010, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts to pursue an MFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University. She is currently a visiting artist at Emerson College for the Summer of 2020 and has a public mural on view at Winter Place, downtown Boston, commissioned by the Boston Downtown BID, and created in partnership with the Boston Literary District. In 2018 Csekö was invited to the Assets for Artists MassMoCA residency program where she further investigated her multi-disciplinary practice as a sculptor, painter, and performer.

Her most recent work gravitates around social experiments grounded on a paradigm shift from competitive to collaborative mindset in social actions and interactions. Csekö is the recipient of a 2016 Walter Feldman Fellowship, awarded by the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston. She divides her time between being a Practicing Artist and an Art Administrator and is joining Montserrat College of Art as an Adjunct Instructor.

Massachusetts

United States

Yes

Having grown up in Brazil, my work is deeply influenced by the colorful Brazilian culture and landscapes, in the same measure that it is marked by the country’s violent and convoluted history. Being an immigrant and dual citizen offers a disturbing perspective, that the spiraling degradation of Brazil’s environment, natural resources, democracy, and political scenario are not isolated events. Brazilian thinker Paulo Freire and his Critical Pedagogy have taught me that a dialog is the only true form of education, and this premise continuously influences my creative practice. Within every aspect of my professional practices, I strive to listen and learn, and welcome my peers and communities into a conversation, seeking to offer a sense of participation, agency, and the space for critical thinking. Through listening, learning and a collaborative mindset we avoid conforming to outdated colonialist and imperialist discourses, narratives, behaviors, and practices. I am fueled by the thought that fatalism can be overcome and that alternatives abound. I want a future where no one will dare say, "it has always been this way" to justify the unthinkable. Love, sweat, joy, and tears, Julia

www.juliacseko.com