Ceramics |

letters to her

Selena Barcenas

home. traces of the shells I’ve built for myself.
its purpose to protect, take care, give warmth and safety.

outgrowing these shells.
thank you for giving me a home.

change. spaces i’ve outgrown. spaces i’ve abandoned.
thank you to the versions of me.

to build onto my next home. always rebuilding.

an ode to the shells that have protected and housed her.

thank you,
i love you.

thank you,
i love you.

a journal excerpt, 2024

letters to her is a time-based installation and performance showcasing ceramic vessels surrounded with clay slip writings. This piece delves into childhood memories of building and playing house, and the ongoing process of reconstructing our inner landscapes, revealing the connection between memory, migration, and our capacity for healing.

performance schedule

Thursday, May 9, 6 pm
Thursday, May 16, 6 pm
Saturday, May 18, 4 pm
Thursday, May 23, 6 pm

Located on Level 1, Sculpture Gallery

In the whirlwind of the past year, I found myself inhabiting three different homes within six months. Mirroring my early years of crossing continents, moving from culture to culture, these shifts brought memories of a younger me. Through crafting tiny sanctuaries in hidden corners—like the space beneath the dining table—I built worlds that traveled with me.

As a child, these makeshift havens offered solace; they were my homes within the maze of the unfamiliar. They held everything essential, everything familiar, close at hand. Today, I revisit this child-like inventiveness to find my center. To soothe the young girl still navigating through shifting thresholds, I embrace my body as sanctuary, weaving together self-care, writing, movement, and the tactile solace of clay. This medium, so primal and grounding, becomes a continuation of my being.

This journey is a testament to the power of self-care and artistic expression as conduits for healing, serving both as refuge and as a means to craft a life of abundance and fulfillment. It’s about trusting myself to forge new spaces of rest and renewal, about building self-trust through the very act of letting go. Each movement, each creation, reassures me: wherever I find myself, I carry my home within.

In homage to the shells I have outgrown and left behind—thank you for the shelter, the warmth, the protection. To all the versions of myself along this journey—thank you, I love you. As I continue to grow, each step is both a departure and a homecoming, an ongoing ode to the sanctuaries that have housed and shaped me.

with the body, 2023
ceramics, reduction firing