Bio

Christian Derek Aguilar is a fine artist that focuses on paper, embroidery, and mixed media. He has a bachelor’s in chemistry and studio art from the University of South Carolina. He previously worked in the environmental industry quantitating volatile organic compounds in soil and water. Currently, he works in preventive art conservation science with projects in materials testing, environmental monitoring, integrated pest management, and display case testing.

Christian Dere was born in the Philippines, raised on Congaree land (Columbia, SC), and currently resides in Manahata, Lenapehoking (New York, NY). Outside of work, his interests are in cooking, running and poetry. He seeks to bring all of these sensory experiences to his art practice.

Statement

After one of my art teachers recognized that I needed to slow my brain down to improve my observational skills, she had me learn one of the slowest mark making techniques: embroidery! I made running stitches into a paper collage and it has been an obsession ever since! Embroidery put my art education on the fast-track and intensified my need to experiment with materials.

Eventually, my obsession was refined into a meditation over line, texture, and value to create a visual language. This is where I find myself now. I am interested in the tension between the historical versus contemporary uses of embroidery, paper, and textiles. My goal is to be bold about my material curiosity.