Welcome to the Bunker Questionnaire, a new series in which we ask Bunker Projects residents and exhibiting artists three questions from Marcel Proust’s famous Proust Questionnaire, a survey that purported to reveal a person’s true nature. We hope their answers and the accompanying photos allow you to get to know them and their work a little bit more.
Joanna Cortez trained in printmaking, metalwork and ceramics. In her practice, she draws imagery from plants, patterns and objects found in the American Southwest, Oaxaca, Jordan and Palestine. Her work attempts to be one more contemporary voice among many, unweaving narratives relegating her cultures to ancient times, propaganda, myth or as vanished. Her practice is in part record keeping, but she hopes it remains a vehicle for storytelling and continued conversations about heritage and our shared humanity. Joanna received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2017 and an MFA from Columbia University in 2020.
Describe yourself in three words.
“Lucky, reader, dreamer.”
Who are your favorite artists/the ones who’ve influenced you most?
“So many of my previous professors: Simonette Quamina, Gabo Camnitzer, a painting professor I had for five weeks and can’t find the name of anywhere. I feel influenced most by every artist who I’ve been able to spend time with.”
What is your idea of happiness?
“Peace, space, water, and good food.”
Photography by Anna Brewer Productions
If you’d like to support Bunker Projects’ mission to provide a safe, equitable space for emerging artists to develop their practice and create new works for exhibition, please consider joining our Bunker Commons program or making a one-time or recurring donation here. We are so grateful for your generosity.
