BIO:
Amy Nava Ruiz is a first generation, queer chicana born and raised in Houston, Texas. She received a bachelor of Fine arts with a concentration in photography and a minor in art history from the university of north texas and is currently a mfa candidate at the University of Houston. Nava Ruiz's work has been shown in nopalismo at elgin street studios, Houston, TX; visibility & stature, Cora Stafford gallery, denton, tx and collaborations xvi..., Houston center for photography, Hoston, TX.
StatemenT:
I am driven by my lived experiences as a queer daughter of immigrants. My work is an exploration of the visual representation of queer chicanx experiences. I am interested in the clashes, contradictions, beauty, strength, perseverance, and resistance that exist in the in betweens - the liminal spaces where identities intersect and flourish. In my work, i explore the intersections between Mexico and the United States, queerness and religiousness, tradition and modernity, visibility and invisibility.
In these works, I struggle to reconcile the contradictions and hidden histories in my identities. In a country where there are anti-immigration laws based on the Mexico-U.S. border and anti-LGBTQ+ laws being pushed, I often find my communities in a state of oppression. It is clear how little representation Mexican Americans and LGBTQ+ people have. There is much about our history that is unknown, often memorialized by the acts of violence against our communities, leaving us hidden and invisible in American history. My work is my way of resisting these oppressions and fighting to have our stories told.
Using a variety of techniques and mediums, ranging from performance to digital collage, my work touches on themes of homophobia, identity, racism, trauma and the loss of culture and Indigenous practices. Through my work, I strive to crystallize these lived realities in time and take up space as a brown queer person in the Fine Arts.
Using a variety of techniques and mediums, ranging from performance to digital collage, my work touches on themes of homophobia, identity, racism, trauma and the loss of culture and Indigenous practices. Through my work, I strive to crystallize these lived realities in time and take up space as a brown queer person in the Fine Arts.
CV/ Resume
EDUCATION
2026 MFA (pending), University of Houston, Houston, TX (expected May 2026)
2023 BFA magna cum laude, Studio Art with concentration in Photography and minor in Art History, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2023 – Instructional Assistant, University of Houston School of Art, Houston, TX
2022 – 23 Intern, Liliana Bloch Gallery, Dallas, TX
2021 – 23 Photo Lab Assistant, University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
AWARDS /FELLOWSHIPS
2023 Graduate Tuition Fellowship, University of Houston Graduate School, Houston, TX
2022 The Janani Jeganathan Scholarship in Photography, University of North Texas, Denton TX
2021 Wes Miller Scholarship for the Arts, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
2021 The Voertman-Ardoin Fellowship, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
EXHIBITIONS
2024 NOPALISMO, Elgin Street Studios, Houston, Texas
2022 dynamic luminescence, UNT CoLab, Denton, TX
Amor y Tiempo, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
UNT Photography: senior photography, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
Visibility & Stature, Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, TX
30 Under 30, Denton Greater Arts Council, Denton, TX
Parallax 2022, Union Art Gallery, Denton, TX
Spring Equinox, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
2021 Vita Venitas, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
Notches to the Right, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
2019 Collaborations XVI a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX
2026 MFA (pending), University of Houston, Houston, TX (expected May 2026)
2023 BFA magna cum laude, Studio Art with concentration in Photography and minor in Art History, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2023 – Instructional Assistant, University of Houston School of Art, Houston, TX
2022 – 23 Intern, Liliana Bloch Gallery, Dallas, TX
2021 – 23 Photo Lab Assistant, University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
AWARDS /FELLOWSHIPS
2023 Graduate Tuition Fellowship, University of Houston Graduate School, Houston, TX
2022 The Janani Jeganathan Scholarship in Photography, University of North Texas, Denton TX
2021 Wes Miller Scholarship for the Arts, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
2021 The Voertman-Ardoin Fellowship, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
EXHIBITIONS
2024 NOPALISMO, Elgin Street Studios, Houston, Texas
2022 dynamic luminescence, UNT CoLab, Denton, TX
Amor y Tiempo, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
UNT Photography: senior photography, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
Visibility & Stature, Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, TX
30 Under 30, Denton Greater Arts Council, Denton, TX
Parallax 2022, Union Art Gallery, Denton, TX
Spring Equinox, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
2021 Vita Venitas, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
Notches to the Right, UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton, TX
2019 Collaborations XVI a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX