Ismael Dominguez

Ismael was born and raised in rural northern Wyoming. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. Before this, he attended the junior college, Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming where he received his Associate of Arts. Ismael is now living in Laramie and studying sculpture and metalsmithing. 

 

Artist Statement

Interpersonal connection with those currently around us, and those that have come before us, contributes in shaping the identities and themes that form the building blocks of my work. Growing up as a queer person of color in the rural midwest has greatly contributed to the experiences that fuel my work to drive abstract ideas of humanism and the connection, or lack thereof, between individuals that is often a reactionary act to the isolation found in Wyoming. Religious sculptures and rites from Catholicism, as well as cultural Mexican practices, serve as the largest inspirations that have permeated into my work creating ritualistic, modern manifestations of these archaic ceremonies. By bringing the ritual of these practices into contemporary objects, I aim to emphasize the history of the human condition through emotions and how this reverberates within all of us today.