Alejandro Diaz

When I finally was exposed to high art in high school and I would see books at the bookstore on pop art or abstract expressionism, I responded immediately in that same way as my grandfather would if he saw a fancy Greek or Roman sculpture somewhere. He would just buy or create the ersatz version of it. When I was exposed to pop art, I wanted to internalize it because I thought maybe that would be the best way to learn about it. But I also almost wanted it as a possession, as an object to have. Because if you grow up in a working-class culture, I think you grow up with this feeling that if you acquire things, you acquire self-worth. -Alejandro Diaz