Efraín Leal Escalera

Ancestry: Tepehuan / Latinx / Mestizo
Based In: Aurora, CO
Email: elealesc@gmail.com
Social Media: @quitina.y.simetria

About the Art
Simetría Alienígena is a series of macro symmetrical mandalas that feature time, space, fears, and hopes through the abstract use of invasive organisms introduced via colonization and climate change that now affect our environments and ecosystems and therefore the quality of life of those they now share the space with. They are structured using the phenotypes evolution and nature have provided these organisms such as chitin, cellulose, flying appendages, leaves, petals, spines and thorns. These pieces create symmetrical aesthetics and shapes through the process of mindfulness, observational skills, experiential learning and the process of being grounded and connected to the world outside our windows by using the materials and organisms found on the ground we step on to create consciousness of the perils our local environments face. Obtaining inspiration from artists such as Maurits Cornelis Escher, Klaus Kemp and Jennifer Angus, these pieces hope to bring awareness through various layers, fields of thought and intersectionality between socially engaged art and science. They represent the sum of the barriers and inherited traumas experienced by the communities affected the most by climate change and white supremacy in our altered ecosystems.

About the Artist
Resourcefulness and observational skills supply me with the life learning experiences needed to be an advocate for nature, but also a voice for my intersecting communities. Despite the barriers and obstacles, I have obtained skills such as resilience, creativity and mindful introspection, that provide a source worthy of expanding and growing from.

Through photography I have connected Nature to many people. Through a merging of science and art I have been able to share my perspective through a lens that reflects my own life as an immigrant in this country with that of nature. My visual storytelling skills serve as inspiration and will also be the groundwork for the impact I want to make in biology, art, conservation, education, teaching, representation and accessibility. 

I have made my presence known in my intersecting communities through scientific and artistic engagement at organizations like the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA) as a guest instructor with Viviane Le Courtois and also through Bluff Lake Nature Center and Sand Creek Greenway as a guest presenter and program assistant. Through art, nature and photography I have made my community’s voices heard on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission meeting via Conservation Colorado and Protégete: Nuestro futuro vale la lucha.

Through scientific specimens, my understanding of angles, perspectives, depth and abstract thought have created outlets for my creativity but also my frustrations, anxieties and fear. These all serve as a source of energy and resilience. 

Nature has provided me a blueprint for my life but also the clues to its familiar patterns through different perspectives, geometry and angles. By creating symmetry using the elements and organic structures such as the polysaccharides chitin and cellulose that surround our lives, I am able to transmit a message and create an outlet for awe, wonder and curiosity. I hope to help establish a path for others to use as a guide, inspire to create a positive social change and add to our roles as inhabitants and organisms of this planet connected to everything happening inside of it.

Growing up in the United States as an immigrant from Mexico has come with a lot of limitations and of figuring things out for myself. Sharing and showing how I have managed to steer myself towards knowledge and appreciation of the natural world through art and science regardless of the already established societal obstacles and standards is an important component of the work I wish to continue doing. Even though I have faced and will continue to face disadvantages because of racism, systemic oppression and colonialism, my experiences as a non-traditional student of life, both literally and figuratively speaking, will serve to pave a way for others to learn and observe that pursuing a passion is accessible and within reach.

Mi Ventana
de Efraín Leal Escalera

Mi ventana, mi humilde vista hacia al mundo

Paisajes familiares pero también fuereños y extraños
que por cosas de la vida ahora afectan la mía

Todo un mundo por ver, todo un ecosistema a la vez
En el, interactúan mis sueños, mis anhelos y mis pensamientos
Junto a ellos, organismos no tan diferentes a mi

Algunos alienígenas al suelo donde estoy, tal vez como algún día
al mismo terreno lo fui yo

Desde mi ventana escucho, veo, siento, huelo y pruebo mi camino y mi destino
guiado por la naturaleza que me inspira, da vida y energía

Vida, agua, aire, sangre
Son los componentes que mi humilde vista me provee y me guían