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Erika Rosales expresses her love for existence as a multidisciplinary visual and performing artist. She focuses her work on abstract paintings though different mediums such as alcohol ink on yupo paper as well as mixed media on canvas. Erika has also collaborated on local mural projects. She is a self-taught visual artist.
Erika has also been a dancer for the past 20 years sharing her cultural Mexican traditions. She has been part of several local Mexican traditional dance performing groups.
Her artistic work focuses on expression through reconnection, liberation, multi-dimensional exploration and coming back to self.
Erika lives in Madison, Wisconsin and is originally from Mexico.
Artist Statement
The multidimensionality of existence extends far beyond what we perceive with our known five senses. While we have access to various dimensions, we have created a limited perspective through our learned human condition. The same human condition that has slowly attempted to remove the true meaning of our existence and connection to our divine nature. Through this process, we have created systems of oppression, division, and self-serving paradigms.
Art has been a form of healing and resistance through millennia. As the voices and expressions of women of color have continuously been silenced through oppressive systems, I consider art a healing modality for myself and those of us who have been silenced; I consider myself a conduit of realms that want to be expressed. My artistic work focuses on expression through reconnection, liberation, multi-dimensional exploration and coming back to self. As a physical aspect of the seen and unseen aspects of the universe, I believe I am part of the expression of non-physical to physical. My art attempts to demonstrate the multidimensionality of other realms, other worlds as well as the remembrance of our true essence and our own multidimensionality. I use creative mixed media methods to demonstrate this.
EDUCATION
Autodidact artist
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 - 11th Annual Latino Art Fair Exhibit, Commonwealth Gallery, Madison Wi
2024 - Freedom and Independence, Latino Arts Art Exhibition, Commonwealth Gallery, Madison Wi
2024 - Java Cat Auction Exhibit, Madison Wi
2024 - Reprocidad, Edgewood College Gallery, Madison Wi
2015 - DREAMERS Fundraiser, UW-Milwaukee
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 - Art Is Medicine That Heals Us All- UW-Madison Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium Online Exhibit
MURAL PROJECTS
2019 - Nuestra Latinidad y Esperanza, Centro Hispano of Greater Madison, Madison Wi
2020 - See Love-Black Lives Movement, State Street, Madison Wi
2022 - The Beauty of Multilingualism, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, UW-Madison Wi
2023 - Free Palestine- Mother Fools Coffee, Williamson Street, Madison Wi
2024 - The listening heart, Sugar Creek Elementary School, Verona Wi
VISUAL PERFORMANCES
2005-2024
Cultural Dancer of Mexican Folkloric dance groups. Ballet Folklorico de Los Hermanos Avila, Mexican Dance Ensemble and DanzTrad. Madison, Wi and Milwaukee, Wi
Yearly performances at the Overture Center for the Arts International Festival
School performances such as Nuestro Mundo Elementary, Midvale Elementary, Cherokee Middle School, Memorial High-School, and more
Community performances such as UW-Madison Memorial Union, Art Fair on the Square, Taste of Madison, Goodman Community Center, Kids on the Rotunda at the Overture Center for the Arts and more
National performances in places such as Washington State, Arkansas, New York, and Philadelphia
TEACHING
2019 - Centro Hispano Art Workshop for (Re)generacion Youth Group. Madison, Wi
2025 - Latine Comics Collective. Partnership between UW-Madison and West High-school, Madison Wi