Delilah Montoya Color Photography
b. 1955
Although she was born in Texas and lived in Nebraska into her twenties, photographer and printmaker Delilah Montoya has deep roots in northern New Mexico through her mother's family. Raised by her mother, Montoya observes that women have empowered her family for five generations.
Montoya studied photography and printmaking at the University of New Mexico, where she received her bachelor's degree, master's degree, and master of fine arts. She works in a variety of two-dimensional photographic and printing processes as well as creating larger installations. The artist describes her approach as postmodernist and uses documentary strategies to interpret her own distinct vision.
Politically, Montoya is committed to exploring issues of identity in terms of a Chicano cultural context:"In my own evolving ideology I question my identity as a Chicana in occupied America, and articulate the experience of the minority woman. I work to understand the depth of my spiritual, political, emotional and cultural icons, realizing that in exploring the topography of my conceptual homeland, Aztlan, I am searching for the configuration of my own vision. " (Montoya n.d.) Montoya is committed to the expression of Chicana experience and history, but she does not consider herself as a feminist. Indeed, Montoya rejects identification as a United States-style feminist because she believes that "Feminists don't give us solidarity. As a Chicana my issues are multifaceted, not just gender, but class, race. "
The border, for Montoya, is a politically imposed construct, a part of a United States colonialist enterprise that was forced upon the Chicano community. It is the environment in which Chicano life and history unfolds. Montoya's work explores contemporary and historical issues, sometimes win a humorous twist. Her artist's book for the 1992 Chicano Codices exhibition organized by the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, Codex Delilah: a Journey From Mechica to Chicana (including text by poet Cecilio Garcia-Camarillo), traces the imaginary journey of Six Deer, a character who embodies the contact between indigenous and Spanish culture in her trip "pal norte" towards Aztlan, the "spiritual homeland of her ancestors." As she journeys to the north, the character also journeys forward in time, meeting important Chicanas from the past, including La Llorona, La Conquistador, and activist Velia Silva. This effort to reimagine a forgotten and ignored history integrates several elements to affirm the importance of both historical and contemporary mestizaje to Chicana survival.
Another project, "El Sagrado Corazon/The Sacred Heart," involved the Albuquerque Chicano community in an exploration of the syncretism, or mixing, of Catholicism and Aztec philosophy. These collotype portraits depict members of the community as well as cultural personages, such as "La Genizara" (a Hispanicized Native American) and "La Loca y Sweetie," barrio "home girls."to
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Artist: Delilah Montoya
Corazon Sagrado
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Denton, TX
Edition 1/1
Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin by Delilah Montoya
Collotype print, 10 x 8 in.
Delilah Montoya was born in Texas to a Latina mother and an Anglo father. Her mother raised her in Nebraska until she relocated to New Mexico...
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Color Photography
Materials
Other Medium
God's Gift by Delilah Montoya, 1993, Collotype Print
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Denton, TX
God's Gift by Delilah Montoya depicts a woman facing a graffitied wall, with her arms stretched out. Lit candles surround her on the floor. The woman's pose is reminiscent of Jesus o...
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Color Photography
Materials
Other Medium
El Grito De La Gitana, from Corazon Sagrado series by Delilah Montoya, 1993
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Denton, TX
This image is a collotype print from Delilah Montoya's series, Corazon Sagrado, and is edition 1/1. It is signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin by Delilah Montoya.
This collotype print features a woman in a dress dancing in front of a backdrop on a checkered floor...
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Color Photography
Materials
Other Medium
Without innocence how can there be wisdom, from Corazon Sagrado series
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Denton, TX
Edition 1/1
Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin.
Collotype print
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Color Photography
Materials
Other Medium
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Delilah Montoya color photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Delilah Montoya color photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Delilah Montoya in archival pigment print, pigment print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1990s and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Delilah Montoya color photography, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Todd Gray, Emily Cheng, and Brenda Zlamany. Delilah Montoya color photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,900 and tops out at $3,500, while the average work can sell for $2,900.