Manda Vasquez

Eugene, Oregon

Before I became an MFA candidate, my artwork asked: How does class influence displacement and belonging? My practice spans across mediums like photography, performance, and sculpture, both before and during my MFA candidacy. Rooted in a strictly photographic background, I was first drawn to the rapid expansion of urbanization, and its impact on the natural landscapes of my hometown. In the initial stages of my practice, I documented the physical reshaping of this land, but over time I turned to performance and sculpture. Introducing my body into the artwork had allowed me to examine my relationship with construction materials and the forces of commercialization in developing neighborhoods. While inviting others to witness the permanent transformation of rural landscapes into urban sprawl.

My artwork now asks: what does it mean to belong? To be remembered? To have our community preserved? From the erasure of land to the erasure of my own presence, what happens when the voiceless vanishes? I seek to bridge the connection between displacement and the human spirit, leaving an irreplaceable mark on the land while honoring memory. My work renders loss and isolation physically and is not meant to solve these issues but to summon those who have been left in similar disarray and offer a space for shared reflection, recognition, and comfort.