Maria Elena González

In interview, the Cuban-born U.S.A.-based artist Maria Elena González discusses her work. She comments on her studies in San Francisco, notes her move to New York, and indicates her receipt of various grants. She outlines her life in Cuba and relocation as a child to the U.S.A., explores the references to her family in Nucleus (1998; illus.) and Basebowl, and comments on the relationship between her sculptures and the body, with reference to Untitled (Confessional) and Resting Spots. She highlights the theme of memory in her work, explains her choice of materials for the installation Mnemonic Architecture, and emphasizes the influence of minimalism on her own output. She remarks on her image of two ovals, traces her creation at the Eternit factory of the editions S-Sweep and Arched Back< /i> and the installations Flying Apartment Flotilla, Wave< /i>, and Weave, and notes her exhibition of pieces made at Eternit in DiverseWorks in Houston (2003). She outlines her interest in the symbol of the flying carpet, with reference to Magic Carpet/Home and Carpet (1998), considers how it represents a city that can migrate, and details the contents of her exhibition at The Project in New York (6 Oct.-3 Nov. 2002), which explores anxiety. She reflects on the role of abstraction in her work, compares the exhibition to her piece Basebowl at the Queens Museum of Art in New York (2002), which involved the American artist Stephen Vitiello, and assesses her use of narrative. She argues that she conceives her work through images not words, elaborates on her castings in rubber for DiverseWorks, and refers to her production process. She emphasizes the role of drawing, details the creation of Holy Steps (2001; illus.) for a site in Rome, and considers Barrilito and Centered Cake. She remarks on Kcho's work and the extent of her own association with Cuba, and concludes by commenting on the meaning of her work Magic Carpet/Home.