Alexis L. Silva

Seattle, WA

On view at the Bellevue Arts Museum and online as part of the Bellwether Film Fest.

Alexis L. Silva is a Seattle-based Salvadoran American artist, writer, and curator who works through the means of performance, installation, and photography. Inspired by the idea of emotion transforming into something tangible, he creates his work by constructing thoughtful and immersive experiences that provoke emotive and visual poeticism. His interest in storytelling and narrative fuels his practice where he explores ideas of queerness, race, and Salvadoran diaspora. His current works revolve around his family’s immigration story and the abstraction that comes with recounting those memories.

como nos dejaron

Total running time – 6:57

Note: This video has no sound.

como nos dejaron is a commentary on the aftermath of the United States’ involvement during the Salvadoran Civil War. Using his family’s stories as reference, the artist utilizes found objects to create scenes of silent labor. This silence is the aftermath of political influence and survival, a silence that dictates the everyday livelihood of Salvadoran Americans and many other minority communities. Xenophobic immigration policies de-incentivize Salvadoran Americans from speaking freely about their experiences beyond their home, while also fortifying familial ties through oral storytelling and the transference of tradition from immigrant parents to children of immigrants. These acts of silence are part of the everyday experience for many Salvadoran Americans, and it is only through storytelling where we learn about how they left us and how we continue to be.