Jes Rivera
they/them
El Paso, TX, USA
Jes Rivera is a queer AuDHD Chicane from the borderlands who recently graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a double Bachelors in Jewelry + Metals and Graphic Design. Jes’ work has been featured in a variety of exhibitions including an online exhibition for Ethical Metalsmiths. Their work is often described as bright and playful using form and texture to emphasize imperfect sensory inputs while centering on the many tumultuous personal experiences of going undiagnosed for the majority of their life. They are currently working with Flux Collective, a group of fellow interdisciplinary artists aiming to create community resources and opportunities for underrepresented groups within the borderlands. Future endeavors include the creation of a line of everyday stim-toy-like jewelry designed for neurodivergent adults that can be worn without fear of societal rejection.
“These spoons exist on a spectrum of completeness and beauty. Some are perfectly planished and polished, shining brightly in comparison to their rough, flame-painted counterparts. The most vital of these spoons, that one which chains the two ends closed, is the worst of them all, looking the most beaten up and worn down as if holding it all together is truly all that it could be capable of and asking it to do so gracefully would simply be asking too much of it. When seen without any context, these spoons are essentially useless, independent of each other they wouldn’t be able to perform their intended function. However, when chained together their use suddenly becomes dependent on the perspective of the viewer, a glass-half-full or half-empty scenario.”
How does your work relate to the theme connection?
“This large chain is a very physical embodiment of the entire concept of connection. The classic loop in loop style chain, one of the very first chains I ever made, connects to those early metalsmiths who are still inspiring a rising hoard of contemporaries today. The spoon theory this work was first inspired by connects myself and my experiences to those communities who utilize that analogy to explain their disabilities and create accommodations for themselves and those still to come who will inevitably face these same challenges. Even with each spoon, I am reconnected to the past me at the exact moment of creation and the hardships, challenges, and sweet surprises felt every step along the way. In each step of beauty to vulgarity small moments of wild successes and harrowing failures can be connected to."
What role does connection play in your creative process?
“The literal connections to fellow queer and neuroqueer artists expands my own way of thinking and approaching works by taking in so many influences, their words, concepts, and methods of creating. My perspectives regarding the process of creating have shifted greatly from when I first attempted establishing any type of process with this rigid, binary, all-or-nothing mindset to this playful curiosity to discover what new connections can be found, curated, or created and I truly believe this evolving communities support can never be overstated. Their curiosity in all aspects of life inspire me to find new connections in materials and techniques while challenging the reasoning for utilizing certain processes over others and pushing me to combine seemingly mundane experiences to those that are wholly unusual."
"Useless Spoons", copper, 24” x 9” x 1.5”, 2023What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?
“Although I’m regularly misgendered, I would call myself very visibly and openly queer and even more so visibly and openly neuroqueer. I spent so long hiding and rejecting my own queerness and neuroqueerness, as so many of us do, but since being able to accept myself and find open community, my connections to the world have felt more genuine and integral to my enjoyment of living. My neuroqueerness allows me to enter community unabashedly as I relate to folk who struggle with similar challenges, rejoice in the smallest of wins for the day, and revel in the stillness of safety that so many of us exist together in this moment. Furthermore, I get to connect to the rich world full of other queer and neuroqueer folk, seeing my uniquely un-unique experiences somehow on repeat halfway across the world. Despite all the frustrations and struggles, my neuroqueerness has connected me to a life worth living, challenges and all lovingly embraced."
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“Spoon theory is a metaphor describing the amount of physical and/or mental energy that a person has available for daily activities and tasks, and how it can become limited. This theory has become popularized within the neurodivergent community despite being first coined in 2003 to help describe the effects of chronic illness, specifically lupus. I wanted to create a set of spoons that represent my struggle with executive dysfunction, a keystone symptom of ADHD that impairs the brain’s ability to estimate, manage, and complete tasks."