Salma Garcia Nolasco lives in a world where there is no such thing as authenticity. Everything exists as mimicry, and that “fake” can be just as legitimate as “real”. This is a world where objects shapeshift and people transform—
as if they are characters moving between masks in a play. This is a world where all interactions are treated as performances, all dialogues follow a script, all people are actors, and all objects are props. Every room behaves as a stage, where its objects wait patiently for the performers to walk in and act. Through this hyperbolic world-making, Garcia embraces the performance of life. These artificial environments and characters act as stand-ins for real life situations, allowing Garcia to further investigate personal interactions. Often using puppetry, mask making, and costume design, Garcia mimics her own body to drive these ideas of humanness. Subsequently, she creates extensions of the body to dissect and reveal aspects not otherwise expressed.
Salma Garcia Nolasco was born in San Salvador, El Salvador; her family immigrated to southeastern Pennsylvania in 2000. Subsequently, Garcia grew up an hour north of Philadelphia. As a child , she began mask making and painting after being introduced to sci-fi and fantasy films. She received a BFA in Fibers and Materials Studies in 2020 from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Garcia has attended Arrowmont School of the Arts and Crafts twice; as a university fellow and as a work study. During her time at Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Salma was involved with The Fibers Guild and The Artists of Color Committee.
︎: salmagarcianolasco@gmail.com
