Monica Canilao

"I focus on the points of sincerity that stand out and go on to create new stories built around these truths. These reworkings of history and newborn mythology are shaped and guided by my experience in the moments of their creation. The value of these pieces is found not in the final form or in their ability to be sold. It is what they give me in the process of making. For me, making art is about making living sacred."

Monica Canilao compiles a living history by weaving her personal experiences with physical remnants of past lives. Through meticulous painting, cutting, building, sewing, and layering, Canilao uses recycled materials to transform forgotten objects and familiar imagery into a personal vernacular of newborn mythology. Inspired from native traditions and contemporary subcultures alike, she explores interconnections between: the past and present; the personal and communal; the commonplace and the sacred. In 2005 she received her BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts and has shown internationally in galleries, community spaces, and abandoned places. In 2013 Canilao was awarded the Eureka Fellowship by The Fleishhacker Foundation. She has been teaching for over ten years, heading classes at The Berkeley Museum and The San Francisco Day School. Constantly in motion, Canilao moves wherever she is invited to create.