The Euphoric Dance of the Unconquered Mind

Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo

The Euphoric Dance of the Unconquered Mind features textured oil paintings of Mexika dancers that exude movement, energy, and power to celebrate the continued tradition of Indigenous dance ceremony. To create the work, Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo crops and combines her own photographs of dancers in movement and renders the composition on canvas, applying paint with a palette knife for a thick impasto. This work is based on Mexika dancers from the San Francisco Bay Area, in acknowledgment of the living culture-keepers who preserve and practice Indigenous traditions in the 21st century, across social and political borders. The vibrantly colored paintings celebrate mental liberation and honor our Indigenous ancestors.

Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo is a visual artist, poet, and facilitator based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Her work is informed by her Indigenous ancestry, Mesoamerican philosophy, Mexika & Mixtec art, Mexican culture, Chicano history, and her experiences as a woman. Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo earned a BFA in Pictorial Art and a BA in French from San José State University. Her artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions across the United States and her poetry is published widely. She served as Creative Ambassador of the San José Office of Cultural Affairs and was selected for the Center for Cultural Innovation's CALI Accelerator Grant Program. She is a Board Member of Poetry Center San José and the Director & Editor of La Raíz Magazine. www.ejmontelongo.com