Roberto Torres Mata

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Roberto Torres Mata/courtesy Madison College Gallery

A print by Roberto Torres Mata.

A print by Roberto Torres Mata.

media release: Mi Casa Es Su Casa / My Home is Your Home

Exhibit On Display: September 14 - October 20

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 14th, 2023 4 pm - 6 pm, featuring spoken-word from Roberto, Oscar Mireles, and Dana Maya at 5:30 pm.

Roberto Torres Mata is an artist from Huntington Beach, California, and Rockford Illinois, currently located in Madison, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Masters of Fine Arts in Printmaking. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Western Illinois University of Macomb Illinois. He exhibited his work nationally, and Internationally he has been published by Capital Times, OnWisconsin, ToneMadison, and Artdaily. He has exhibited work at the Figge Art Museum, at the Quad Cities, Illinois, and Zhou B Art Center at Chicago, Illinois. Roberto is a current recipient of the Education Graduate Research Scholars fellow and a recent recipient of the Chazen Prize.  

Oscar Mireles is the first Latino Poet Laureate (2016-18) of the City of Madison. He is the editor of three anthologies titled I Didn't Know There Were Latinos in Wisconsin.

Dana Maya is a poet, essayist, editor, and teacher. She has taught literature & writing at UT Austin, Madison College, schools, & community organizations. Her poems and essays have garnered awards & appear in anthologies, journals, buses, stages, museums, memorial sites, & other public spaces.

Artist Statement:

The idea of sharing experiences and inviting other creatives to emphasize community, allowing people to have their voices provided me to continue encompassing writers, poets, and textile artisans from Oaxaca, Mexico. This exhibition Mi Casa Es Su Casa /My Home is Your Home, introduces a space where I have collaborated with writers and textile artisans while including my own work in the space. I invite people to experience the journey migrants take to resettle and establish new home in the Midwest in the United States. 

Mi Casa Es Su Casa is a welcoming space for all to immerse themselves with artwork and poetic voices from local writers and artisans from afar.

Using printmaking, installation, and mix-media as a primary medium in my practice, it is versatile and mobile. I use multiple mediums as foundation to express the deep concerns and emotions from the division on Immigration and viewpoints on migrants seeking to resettle to the U.S. The body of work is expressed abstractly through quick brush marks, hand brushed texts, and images of people’s faces or figures. I use a range of colors to focus on land, water, air, and nature to reference those experiences people endure during their long journey. This exhibition allows you to be immersed and acknowledge the difficulties people face despite the overwhelming obstacles.