Local Cicero Artist Discusses The Importance of Art in the Healing Process
En Proceso with Anahi Velazquez
Ought To Be, photo courtesy of Anahi Velazquez
By Efrain Soriano
For everything that Cicero is known for, being a hub for artists is probably not high on that list. Throughout my reporting work with youth, especially those interested in the arts, a recurring theme has been the need to travel far into the city of Chicago to find art-related opportunities outside of school. Some young people report to me they commute to the Bridgeport Art Center to take a film photography class.
Despite these challenges, up-and-coming artists from Cicero find success through their determination and commitment to their craft. Among them is photographer and multimedia artist Anahi Velazquez Torres.
Cicero Independiente spoke to Anahi Velazquez to hear more about her artistic process and how she uses her art to raise important questions about the pressures women face to perform hyper-femininity while simultaneously being shamed for their perceived sexual promiscuity.
As told to by Efrain Soriano.
Hi, my name is Anahi Velazquez Torres, I'm 26 and I was born in Austin, Texas, but I've lived in Cicero my whole life, and I'm a photographer/multimedia artist.
I started making art in high school. I got introduced to taking photos because of my mom. I grew up watching my mom take a lot of photos with her film camera. She had a little Kodak camera, she would always take [photos], and then when she got them developed, she would show me. That was one of my major inspirations.
What really led me to decide that I wanted to pursue [photography] was taking photo classes in high school. I took the basic introductory introductory class. I liked it, and I ended up taking an AP photography course.
I would say my high school teacher, Mr. Balderas, was the one who introduced me to photography. I learned the basics of photography from him. I felt like he believed in my work. So I think that really helped. I would consider him a mentor as well.
I like to do a lot of self-portrait work. [I love] Cindy Sherman, I really like how she could just turn into different people. And I think I try to do that in my work as well. Also, Nadia Lee Cohen, who is also another self-portrait artist. She also does a lot of editorial work now, but she's great. I love the way her photographs look.
I like to focus on being vulnerable. I focus on womanhood and what it means to be a woman and my own experience as I move along through the different stages of my life. A lot of [my art] is just what I've gone through. Whether it be bad relationships or family issues, feelings of self doubt, or kind of going through life and learning what it's like to be a Woman.
[My series Perceptions] was made during a time where I was [focusing on] on the pressures that women feel, like the pressure of having to be this super hyper feminine, sexy thing. And I was just trying to touch how not every woman wants that.
A lot of that work on [Perceptions] started during a time where I was frustrated with things that my family would say or things that I would notice that would go on. The piece [Manten Tus Piernas Cerradas] specifically is about being shamed.
And so when I created [Manten Tus Piernas Cerradas], I thought about hearing that from my aunts or my family, and then I started thinking about how it made me feel, or how it made other people feel in my family.
[Manten Tus Piernas Cerradas] started as a sketch, which a lot of my work starts as a sketch. I write down my idea, then I write down what I think I'll need. What I think I'll need to do in order to prepare for that [shoot]. I actually have those sketchbooks and still to this day. It's cool to see how it just started as little drawings. Also for that piece, I used my mom's hands. The hands that are next to my legs, those are my mom's hands.
I feel like the process itself is my own way of taking care of myself. That is what the process is mainly about, [because otherwise] it stays with me. I kind of just feel that sense of relief like something that I needed to say, or get off my chest, is now out in the open or out on the canvas or the piece of paper or the photograph. Whatever it is that I've chosen to do for whatever piece
I feel like the art scene in Cicero is very quiet, from what I've seen. I think [the community] could definitely benefit from more. I feel like possibly part of it is that there's not a spot or a hub where artists go. There's no galleries in the Town of Cicero, not that I'm aware of. Cicero could really benefit from that because I feel like school, at least for me, was the primary place where I was exposed to art in Cicero.
[During college] I would make art at school or at my aunt's basement. I tried to rent my aunt's basement but then the flood [in Cicero] shut me down. I moved in, and then the next day, the flood happened [in 2023]. All the [art] that I had brought in got ruined. I had an unfinished piece that [was] a huge canvas. I was close to finishing it, but it got wet. I'm not too sure if I could have salvaged it. I also was very upset when it all happened that I threw away a lot of stuff. And so from there, that's when I took a long pause, and now I'm kind of starting over again, because I just got this [new studio].
I was just thinking about this the other day, because sometimes I feel like I'm such a fraud, like I'm not making anything. But honestly, the truth is, as long as you're doing something, like, even if you feel like it's not your best work, it's still something. You’re still working that creative part of your brain. I feel like, with photography, it's easy to do that, because you could do it with anything. It's so easy now, you have your phone with you at all times.
I feel like finding community [is important], even if it's not in Cicero. I think what [young artists in Cicero] could really benefit from is going out and meeting new people and looking at new things. I think it's important to experience life in general. That in itself, is inspiring, just the things you see.
Honestly, just keep trying. It sounds better in Spanish, “Hay que hacerle la lucha.”
That's what my dad told me when I pitched to him that I wanted to go to college. I was worried about the whole money portion of going to college. I remember I explained the whole thing to him, and I was terrified. Then he was like “pues hay que hacerle la lucha.” Ever since then I've carried that with me.
I'm open to having younger artists reach out to me. I could definitely try and help and steer you in the [right] direction and help as much as I can. I would love to help younger artists and to be someone [that believes in them]. So, @dear.anahi [on instagram], you can reach out to me if you have any questions. I got you.
Click the video 🎥 link to learn more about Anahi Velazquez
Efrain Soriano is the Youth and Schools Reporter for Cicero Independiente and a freelance photographer in the local area.
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