zaida adriana goveo balmaseda

I am a Puertorrican/Cuban artist currently based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My practice is developed through explorations with: organic, recycled and/or gathered fibers and materials, craft techniques to which I have a cultural or familial connection, energy and plant medicine, silence, and being alone-together. Cultivating awareness of the ever-present information in the field and receiving what emerges in service to the web of allnesss.

My work manifests primarily as sacred spaces through sculptures, installations, ceremonies/rituals, publications, food, remedios/potions, and Shared Practice Sessions. Honoring the magic of the process, the journey, and the life force invested in humble actions that transform. 

I have been awarded the El Serrucho Grant (Beta-Local) and the Lexus Grant for Artists (Lexus & Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico). I have been an artist-in-residence at the Textile Arts Center, (New York),  Beta Local’s La Práctica (San Juan, PR)  arteFITS Foundation, (Dorado, PR), and El Depósito (Caguas, PR), as well as a fellow at succurro (East Meredith, NY) and The Studios at MASSMoCA (North Adams, Massachusetts). During the summer of 2022 I was the site-responsive artist resident at succurro, and in 2023 I returned for a collaborative site-responsive residency alongside 3 fellow artists and SourcePoint Therapy practitioners. My most recent work is currently on view at El Portal de El Yunque National Forest, in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, as part of NATURA, the inaugural exhibition of the Arte Yunque Program.

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+ You can contact me at zagb@balmaseda.com and/or follow my adventures on Instagram.