Changarrito with Hector Kriete

About the Artist

According to Hector Kriete, “My life and my art has been a path of breaking boundaries that are formed by rules and expectations. As a Latino immigrant from Colombia, I grew up with the mindset that financial stability was the primary goal in life. But on the inside, I always had a strong desire to create art and a need to be surrounded by nature.

I spent my teenage years in Southern California trying to assimilate and suppress my true self. When I started accepting who I was and rediscovering myself through my roots, my soul was nourished and my creativity was sparked. I started doing ceramics when I was a kid in Colombia. When I moved to the States, I focused on my drawing skills, but soon felt constrained by the overwhelming amount of rules imposed by one of my high school teachers.

I rediscovered ceramics through a teacher who allowed me to experiment and create without strict direction. This freed me to discover a world of unlimited possibilities. Another inspirational teacher in college taught me the value of making mistakes and not being afraid to take risks. I’ve learned that the best things can often come from not having expectations and allowing a co-creative process with the medium.

Despite my passion for creating, I still felt bound by the expectations of my family and culture. I spent over ten years after college working for retail companies to try to maintain the financial stability that was expected of me. One day I realized that my reason for seeking stability was so that eventually I could create anything that I imagined. About a year ago, I took a leap of faith and left my career in retail, downsizing everything in my life (with the exception of my monstrous Pyrenees dog, Layla).

Now starting my fourth decade, my life is starting to imitate my art as I break down the boundaries and expectations that my family, society, and I had of myself when I was younger. I split my time between my home studio, Sunset Pottery Canyon where I fire my pieces, and working with ceramic artist Jennifer Pritchett. I am inspired by nature and my love for expressing my passion and talents with the ceramic stoneware medium. One goal I have is to share my gifts with others and inspire them through the shapes and forms I create. Someone recently asked me how my culture and my experience influence my art. It’s something I can’t explain. It’s just in me and who I am. When I try to do anything other than what I do, it just doesn’t feel right.”

Artists have the opportunity to sell their art on the Changarrito cart in front of the Museum (or an offsite location, as representative for the Museum during various Austin festivals). Changarreando expands the reach of the artist by presenting their gallery online, while allowing the option to sell merch over Instagram and receive 100% of the sale.

For the launch of the 2018 season, Mexic-Arte Museum featured six Changarrito residencies during the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. On Wednesday, March 14, Hector Kriete was on hand.

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