Domenica Garcia is a multimedia artist originally from Mexico City. For college, she moved to New York where she attended the School of the Visual Arts and majored in film. Domenica has always known she wanted to have a career related to art and her work encompasses multiple mediums including film, photography, and performance art. When we talked to Domenica, she emphasized the significance of supportive communities and remaining open to new experiences during her personal journey.
New York is a really big city, how did you balance both art school and finding your own community?
It was my first semester in college and I wasn’t doing much beyond adapting. I decided to start going to the gym, but I found it to be really boring. I noticed that New York had so many yoga studios and the majority had really cheap intro deals. I was planning on starting somewhere and hopping around, but I found Daya Yoga, a studio in Bushwick that I just loved, and it was so beautiful that I stayed. I think that’s why it’s so important to be open to new experiences: you can try things out of curiosity and end up finding that it’s something that you were missing. In big cities you have the opportunity to meet new people, but it’s also very intimidating, and it’s easy to try and stay in your comfort zone; I’d say try to step out of that even if it’s scary.
What does it mean for you to be powerful?
I think feeling powerful is related to this idea of connection. I feel like power comes in both situations where you have complete control and moments where you can surrender and let go. To me, what truly makes me feel empowered is knowing I have the choice of when to apply either one. Connecting this back to yoga, movement, and performance art, it’s really interesting when you’re using your body as a means to physically express art. It’s super nice to be able to share that and to be seen, whether it’s on a stage or in an art gallery. However, filmmaking and video can also provide a similar feeling of power; you are the person that is watching; you’re moving actors or directing a crew. I really like to play with that back and forth and jump between being in front of and behind the camera. True power comes in our ability to connect, it’s being able to talk and listen. I feel powerful when I feel connected to the things I know (people I love, places, art) and when I’m able to connect to strangers or foreign environments and situations. It’s truly magical how you can always find a way to connect with everything and everyone and these infinite dialogues are what generate change and growth in the world.
What is a product or item that you love and why?
For me, it would be glitter. I recently discovered glitter and including glitter in my makeup. One of my best friends was a big inspiration for me in terms of fashion. I never saw fashion as being relevant, and she opened my eyes to seeing it as a great form of self-expression, and this really changed my perspective. I love glitter so much now, and it’s a way for me to express myself. It allows me to feel a little childish and also glamorous.
