Jovencio de la Paz

Jovencio de la Paz (b. 1986) was born in Singapore, and currently lives and works in Eugene, OR. They received their BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL, in 2008, followed by an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, in 2012. De la Paz has been included in group shows at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, CO; EFA Project Space, New York, NY; Museum of Craft and Folk Art, Los Angeles, CA; Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, OR; Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI; The Franklin, Chicago, IL; Uri Gallery, Seoul, Korea; among others. In 2022, Jovencio de la Paz was named a United States Artist Fellow for their significant contribution to the field of craft. The title of the exhibition, el lugar de los milagros / the place of miracles is a quotation from didactic signage at the necropolis of Mitla. Located in San Pablo Villa de Mitla, Oaxaca, Mexico, this archaeological site is ritually significant to the history of textiles. The walls of the pre-Colombian settlement depict traditional weave structures from the region, considered to be sacred pathways for the souls of the dead to traverse between the seen and unseen worlds. De la Paz likens the site to a massive computational device transmitting sacred data via circuitry of carved stone, aiding the spirit in its negotiation between worlds. Re-coding the mathematical pattern language of Mitla into digital weave structures, de la Paz confronts their own colonial displacement as an immigrant and cultural descendent of Spanish colonialism. Jovencio de la Paz, Some Circles (NY) Red 1, 2025 handwoven jacquard textiles and cotton 20 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 1 3/4 ins. 51.1 x 51.1 x 4.4 cm Courtesy of Jovencio de la Paz; Chris Sharp Gallery and P·P·O·W, New York © Jovencio de la Paz Jovencio de la Paz, Warped Grid 6.3, 2025 handwoven jacquard textiles, cotton, and wool 60 x 48 x 2 ins. 152.4 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm Courtesy of Jovencio de la Paz; Chris Sharp Gallery and P·P·O·W, New York © Jovencio de la Paz Jovencio de la Paz, Warped Grid 6.3, 2025 (detail) handwoven jacquard textiles, cotton, and wool 60 x 48 x 2 ins. 152.4 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm Courtesy of Jovencio de la Paz; Chris Sharp Gallery and P·P·O·W, New York © Jovencio de la Paz Photo: Ian Edquist