Alison Cortes

BIO Alison Cortes is a working artist residing in Buffalo, New York. She graduated from The University at Buffalo in 2021 with a BA in Art History. She has previously worked at UB Art Galleries, as well as holding the position of Events Coordinator and Curator of Exhibitions at FITZ Books & Waffles from 2022 through early 2024. She has felt grateful to be involved in several special projects and communities early in her career. She also hosts an inclusive co-working space with initiative to create community amongst Buffalo textile artists. She continues to seek or create opportunities to utilize her passion for the arts and art history, whilst pursuing her career as a creative.

ARTIST STATEMENT I am continuously inspired by independent materials and elements of my surrounding environment. My mixed media work explores how spaces, memories, and the everyday become transformed when we welcome the lens of childlike curiosity and imagination. I aim to capture the spirit of individual objects, dreams, and spaces in uniquely textured and layered compositions in order to spark wonder and invoke presence. I am enamored with textile arts as much as I am fond of oil & acrylic paints, and everyday found objects. I often enjoy the use of accessible items, such as cardboard; it was my medium of choice as a child. I invite viewers to immerse themselves in imagined realities or alternative dimensions which exist in technicolor and vibrant emotion. I believe our movement, close observation, and interaction with the world around us is significant in shaping who we are and what we imagine our future to be. I imagine a life full of color as much as it is full of emotional transparency.