Artist Statement
My work captures the indomitable human spirit in the face of overwhelming odds. Nature, social norms, cultural presumptions, governing bodies, interpersonal relationships, past hardships, and future anxieties are all circumstances that shape who we are and how we move through the world. Through self-reflection and observation of others, I examine the transcendence of the self when we overcome our fears, embrace the unknown, and persevere.
“How do we respond to trepidation created by forces we perceive as uncontrollable?” - Lillian Aguinaga
Lillian Aguinaga is a New Orleans based artist who was raised by her mother in Memphis, Tennessee, but spent a month out of the year in Lima, Peru, with her father’s family. Her Peruvian influences combined with being raised in the Southern United States gave Lillian a unique perspective on the world and on culture.
Lillian was granted a full-tuition art and academic scholarship to the University of Memphis. She transferred to the University of Louisiana - Lafayette, which is where she received a BFA in Painting. From 2010 to 2016 she supported her art career by selling her work on commission, with an emphasis on pet portraiture.
After experiencing great and prolonged hardship in 2016, and inspired by the perseverance of the strong powerful women in her life, Aguinaga began to explore more conceptual work. Aguinaga’s art places focus on fear of the unknown and perseverance in the face of great uncertainty.
Her ominous settings and stark color schemes capture the spirit of overcoming and evoke the sensation of stillness in chaos for the audience. Her command of light and shadow in her more recent work leaves her audience with a sense of mystery and possibility.
Lillian also invests fervently in her community. She curates group shows, organizes art markets that provide a space for other community artists, and she organizes fundraisers for organizations that are actively fighting for equality and justice within art and education.