Artist
Stephanie Godoy (b. 1992, El Monte, CA) is a first generation Mexican American artist based in Southern California. In 2018 she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts from California State University Los Angeles. Her painting practice involves documenting and interpreting events which are culturally significant. Within her work she combines her interests in global/local history, astronomy & astrology, and a saturated color use of paint in order to create vibrant paintings. Stephanie’s paintings have been exhibited at the Cheech Museum, Riverside Art Museum, Ontario Museum, Plaza De La Raza, and Self-Help Graphics, among others. Godoy works closely with the Getty and the Cheech museum creating art workshops and has also auctioned off paintings at the Getty Museum.
Statement
Stephanie Godoy creates her paintings with the intention of shaping visual culture. Images demonstrate what societies value across cultures. People’s reaction to what is beautiful and what is not is informed by the civilization they live in. Michael Baxandall has named this phenomena as “The Period Eye.” The Period Eye recognizes that vision itself is contextual because society shapes a viewer’s perspective and response to any given image. Baxandall states that vision is not simply a mechanical process but a complex, cognitive process that has to be learned.
Stephanie's paintings expand on what society can consider beautiful and worthy. She carefully picks her subjects to elevate people who act on resilience. Often, her subjects are people of color who have to creatively navigate a system that was not built in their favor. Whether Stephanie depicts her subjects through their physical body, or through a collection of curated symbols, she always keeps their ancestral roots and natal chart in mind. Stephanie uses bold strokes as a testament to her subjects’ courageous ways of life. Through Stephanie’s work, one can see how she pushes visual culture to acknowledge and embrace those who have been historically marginalized.
Photos by Deb Leal