Women and their art highlighted for Women’s History Month. Photos by Kali Victoria and Robert Cunningham; Video by Mercy Calvo-Cruz
By Brenda Sanchez Barrera and Mercy Calvo-Cruz, Staff Reporters
Editors Note: This is the second story in a series aim to recognize and celebrate both Black artist and Women artist of CSUDH, to read the first story click here.
DJ Vixen K
DJ Vixen K, a third year Film, Television, and Media Production major, began DJing in the 8th grade after taking a class as an elective, where she learned how to DJ with vinyls and how to map out music. “Music is my calling,” Vixen said.
She graduated from Scratch DJ Academy, a DJing school in Los Angeles, in 2020 during her freshman year of college, but her interest in music goes back much further than this.
Because her childhood involved going back and forth between Atlanta and L.A., Vixen grew up listening to the different genres of music that her parents played. “I have always loved discovering different genres of music, it all comes back to jazz and the main beats,” she said.
She views her parents as inspiration for why she became a DJ, seeing as her dad was one himself. Her mom also played a lot of music that formed her own music style, which she describes as 90s hip-hop and R&B.
When it comes to being a woman in the DJing industry, it can be difficult to get your foot in the door. However, for Vixen, she has not experienced any obstacles that pertain to being a woman in the industry.
“My mom has definitely told me that a lot. It’s going to be competitive, growing up hearing people say there aren’t usually women who DJ, but I haven’t had to come into contact with that,” she said.
On the contrary, Vixen actually feels empowered when DJing and creating music. She credits her younger sister for being her motivation, as well as any other women she comes across. She’s even had young girls and women message her on Instagram asking about how to become a DJ, which is an inspiration for Vixen.
“Just because it is a male dominated industry does not mean we can’t dominate,” she said.
Kali Victoria
Another artist on campus is Kali Victoria, a senior at CSUDH who describes herself as an erotic artist.
Victoria is an art major, with a concentration in ceramics, and though she has always been interested in art, she only began making ceramics ten years ago at community college. She enrolled in a ceramics class as an elective, which resulted in her falling in love with it.
“It’s my passion. The minute I started [ceramics], it’s like I was drawn to it,” she said.
Before she got into ceramics, Victoria had trouble deciding what she wanted to pursue. As a first-generation, Latina college student, she felt pressured to take a “safer” route, and tried out traditional majors before ultimately being drawn to art again. At first, she felt like she had to pick a career path that involves less risk.
Victoria turned to art because “it is something you have control over.” To her, art is something that is only for her, and something that she feels proud of. It also helps her take “charge of her own sexual agency.”
She prefers to call herself an erotic artist and ceramicist because she creates art that revolves around pleasure. “Art is so sexy,” Victoria said.
In the beginning, she used to feel insecure about herself and feel guilty for being a sexually active woman, but she channeled those feelings into her artwork. “Channeling guilt into empowerment has been difficult,” Victoria said.
It is important for her art to be realistic, relatable, and “makes women and queer people sexually empowered.”
Apart from wanting to convey this message to her audience, art also does something for her. Victoria’s art makes her feel confident and like she’s in her element. She explains that giving herself pep-talks empowers her to create. “I get a lot of my motivation from taking time to be with my own thoughts,” she said.
Victoria’s motivation behind creating this type of art is both herself, and her parents. Growing up with two moms who couldn’t show affection toward each other because of the way the world viewes homosexual relationships, Victoria empowers herself as her parents weren’t able to.
“A lot of my work is things they couldn’t feel,” she said.
Being a woman in the art industry often comes with hardships and, while Victoria hasn’t had any issues on campus, it can be tough outside of campus.
Unlike on campus, where she feels supported by her mentors and the CSUDH art program, Victoria has dealt with men messaging her on social media trying to elicit sexual responses from her. And though her art is about the opposite of “everything is for men,” the meaning doesn’t always translate.
“People mistake hypersexuality as an invitation to be sexual with [someone],” she said.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Victoria faced difficulties because she wasn’t able to create art on campus, and had to, instead, create art at home with a lack of space. She explains that, while it was difficult to create art at home because she felt that her family was looking over her shoulder, those insecurities helped her become more confident in her art.
She credits this confidence to sometimes having to defend her art to her family.“Their challenging comments helped me structure my narrative stronger,” Victoria said.
Through her art, Victoria hopes to show others that they should love themselves. “I want people to look in the mirror and see how beautiful they are.”
She also wants to communicate to her audience that they should embrace and be proud of their sexuality. “I want people to be in charge of their own sexual experiences,” Victoria explained.
Sierra Moore
Like Victoria, artist Sierra Moore also wants to encourage others to accept and embrace themselves.
Sierra Moore, sociology major and first-year on campus is a spoken word artist, poet, rapper, activist and mediator. As Afro-Latina woman who is proud of her identity and wants to make it known,” she began to create art in her childhood, inspired by her mom who would encourage her to participate in arts and crafts.
Moore was in her first poetry slam around 6th grade when she realized that was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Through her art she hopes to inspire, lead by example, and spread love specifically to the youth.
According to Moore, she would describe her art style as raw, genuine, passionate, and not politically correct. She is inspired by Tupac, Lauren Hill, D-Smoke, and Amy Winehouse.
Because she is a poet, people automatically assume she is gentle and are in disbelief when Moore tells people she raps as well.
She encourages any young girl in her position to take risks and have their voices be heard.
“Just because people can be hurtful, you don’t want to regret the chances you didn’t take, and ultimately people have to adjust to you,” says Moore.
Aside from her art, Moore is also the President of the “In Tha Wood Foundation,” a foundation through which she would like to eventually build a community center for teens and youth to be able to tap into her talent in the same way she has.
“When I am performing, I feel powerful. I feel liberated. I am able to have a conversation in hopes that I am able to touch someone. I want others to feel that too, to know I see them as my equal,” she said.
Despite being so immersed in art at a young age, there was a point in time when Moore felt discouraged. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Moore felt stuck, until she began to share her art on social media.
“You never know who is watching. You don’t know who you’re inspiring, keep creating,” Moore said.
Still, unlike Moore not all artists had the support of their parents.
Rocio Moore
According to Rocio Magdan, studio art major and sixth year, she had been interested in art since she was five years old, but was unsure of pursuing a career in art considering the skepticism and backlash of family members or others who questioned the income the career would bring in the long run.
However, that was not the only struggle Magdan faced. She has seen the art community develop and grow more accepting of newer artists, rather than when she started, where she felt the community was more exclusive.
Upon arriving at CSUDH, Magdan was able to find a safe space and community that shared her same values, and made her feel a sense of acceptance. She became a part of the DH Arts Collective club on campus in an attempt to get more involved and grow her networking skills.
“It was inspiring. To find people who relate to you and like the same things you do. Even if it’s not the same kind of art style, or if a student isn’t an art major, they can join the DH Arts collective and have a safe-space to express themselves,” Magdan said.
The piece Magdan is most proud of is one she is currently working on for her senior show, where she pays homage to her childhood memories and grandma. Magdan’s art style is based on memories and personal experiences, with an 80s aesthetic, and is inspired by Patrick Martinez, an artist whose work is also based on photographs and memories.
Something Magdan tries to convey through her art is that possibilities are endless, and hopes that her younger self, or anyone in her previous situations, knows that. “Create work even if you think it looks bad, to other people it might not be,” she said.
Like Moore, Magdan also noticed that social media was heavily relied on by artists. As Magdan was able to find a community on campus who motivated her, the first few months of the pandemic, she found herself lacking motivation until she saw more people posting work. Magdan herself wasn’t necessarily active on social media, but, as she saw others showcasing their work, she decided to try it herself.
Magdan will be graduating in the spring and is showcasing her final project at the Senior Art Show, held at the Mystique Room in Downtown Los Angeles this year, date to be announced.
