Today we’d like to introduce you to Irma Sofia Poeter.
Irma Sofia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in Los Angeles California in 1963, was raised in Ensenada, lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tijuana and now, in Tecate Mexico, so I have lived half of my life on both sides of the border. This has been a gift for I have inherited both cultures, first by birth, my father was American my mother Mexican, then by geography.
I started on my creative journey as a child. I was very creative and observative, a quality encouraged by my mother, but never thought that art could be my way of life, so I went on studying architecture thinking my creative force would find its outlet thought this path. I did not finish my studies because I decided to get married very young.
Once married, I decided to explore fashion design and leave the idea of becoming an architect. This came about from stories of my grandmother, whom I never knew, and her prowess as a seamstress. Later on, I started a business of integrating art and fashion by making hand painted t-shirts. These shirts were sold in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.
After having my kids, I put all of this behind and dedicated myself to the raising of my son and daughter, who are my pride and joy. At that time, I painted in my spare time and considered this as my way of keeping connected to my need for creative expression. When my children began school and more time was available, I was encouraged by an artist friend and teacher and decided to go into the art world in a professional way. At that time I was living in Tijuana Mexico.
When I started my professional career as an artist in 1993-1994, Tijuana was a very interesting place in the art world. At that time Insite, an international art event of very high standards, came into being in the Tijuana-San Diego area. Many artists from around the world came to this very intense area where two countries meet, one of the most crossed borders in the world. Art flourished on both sides of the border, and I was very lucky to be an artist at that time. I meet many interesting artists, teachers, promoters that enriched my mind, my heart and my spirit. I consider myself primarily a self-taught artist so those influences played a major role in my personal art education.
Art has seen me through many beautiful and not so beautiful experiences and has helped me grow and evolve. In addition, art has definitely been a great vehicle to have the opportunity to travel around the world, meet awesome people and live in incredible places.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The artist journey has been a bumpy one. Art is a difficult career usually fueled by passion and little money, so persistence and strength are key. Many creatives give up their path because it is so difficult to earn a living as an artist. Many times have I thought of just forgetting about being an artist and have left for a short time but have always come back hopeful and with the certainty that exercising my creative force is the only way of truly being myself, and of truly fulfilling my spirit journey.
My advice to aspiring artists is not to give up your dream, your true vocation, which makes you resonate. Art does not necessarily have to earn you a living, and it may mean you need to have another job to make ends meet. In that case, your day job will fill your stomach, your art will fill your spirit. Be surrounded by creative, positive people that will encourage you and that understand your necessity to create and the importance art has in life. Above all always be yourself, authenticity is key.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a multidisciplinary artist who works with textile in all its forms, that is, fabric, garments, embroidery, and woven materials. Textile, is a manufactured material that protects, gives form and defines social, cultural and economic standards. I interpret this medium as a universal language given its strong ties to the whole human condition. Dyed, decomposed, embroidered or reconfigured, textiles accentuate marks of trauma and detonate individual, family and collective memories that enable me to address identity, memory, gender, spirit and energy issues.
The act of constructing is evident in my artistic production since most of the fabrics I use are acquired, recycled or commissioned. With them, I create assemblages and collages that sometimes incorporate painting and photography. My art, immersed as it is in the poetics of textile matter, depends strongly on texture, color, pattern, and shape, as well as on the social, historical, and geographical references they confer.
My work is deeply rooted in the revaluation of sewing as a high art. Traditionally considered a woman’s activity, the act of sewing has been long considered a domestic task and, therefore, a lesser form of art. Hence, resorting to this “minor” craft, I try to discover, emphasize, and balance the feminine that exists in each of us in order to raise textile art to the level it deserves. It is understood that we live in a patriarchal system. Through my art, I stress the importance of the feminine as a means to achieve the balance, harmony, and equilibrium that will allow us to create a free, comprehensive, and equitable world.
During my stay in Oaxaca, 2008-2009, to better understand the conflict between our cultures definition of masculine and feminine, I worked under the name of Eduardo Poeter. This nickname is part of an ongoing piece where I question not only our conceptions of masculine, feminine, and transgender issues, but the ways we name the things that surround us.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I believe that women have the ability to pursue and fulfill any opportunity they encounter. It is the personality and character of the individual that is the driving force in accomplishing what they desire. Thanks to the achievements of the feminist movement women have had the opportunity to enter all work areas, and have learned to navigate and succeed in the patriarchal structure by tapping into their masculine side. I believe all people have both feminine and masculine qualities. We have had almost 60 years practicing going back and forth between these two qualities, so I believe each of us is well prepared to take on any opportunity that can arise, as long as it resonates with who we are and the journey we plan for ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2833 Via Del Allazon, Bonita, CA 91902
- Website: http://www.irmasofiapoeter.com
- Phone: (619) 863 7630
- Email: ispoeter@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irma_sofia_poeter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=897760275
- Twitter: https://borderartists.com/2016/06/21/irma-sofia-poeter/
- Other: https://vanguardculture.com/poetic-license-irma-sophia-poeter/
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