Eva Malhorta

Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo Ovalles Morel: Eva, we finally have the time to sit and talk. We were introduced by Dermís León, a Cuban curator and friend who lives in Santiago de Chile. She spoke with me about your work dealing with the sacred. How has this journey with and through the spiritual originated for you?

Eva Malhorta:  I assume you are referring to my series, CALL TO THE MYSTIC, which I created especially for exhibition in India in an effort to make work that resonates in a country that is known internationally for its spirituality and mysticism. I always try to make artwork that connects somehow with the place or country where I exhibit my work. I did the same when I made a series for Japan called SOÑANDO EN JAPONÉS, DREAMING IN JAPANESE. 

For CALL TO THE MYSTIC I chose to highlight the mysticism of one of the many Mexican ancestral people’s. I chose the Maya from Southern Mexico and Central America who are known for their obsession with connecting and understanding the cosmos. The Mayas were great astronomers, mathematicians, engineers and architects.  They figured out thousands of years ago that everything in the universe is composed of energy and that we are all interconnected with all of it.  Their vast knowledge allowed them to create about 20 different calendars, amongst them the solar, the lunar, and the “long-count” calendar that traces the astral bodies in the Cosmos.  The knowledge of relating to those energies are utilized even today by the specially-trained and cultivated “Contadores del Tiempo” (Counters of Time) who, even today, read and interpret these calendars to assist their communities and its members in not only finding propitious times to gather together to reach decisions by consensus, but also to help heal physical, mental, and emotional issues using natural herbs, bark, stones, baths, etc., together with sacred rites and rituals.  The Mayas choose these healing elements on the calendar appropriate days/nights and respectfully seek their permission before taking them for their healing powers.

NDEREOM: There is a corruption of the spiritual in the times we are living, and when half of the United States favors lies, an alternate reality, racism, transphobia and support cruelty toward “poor” immigrants and our beloved planet. It is as if the evil side of religions would be finding an outlet to proliferate, to run unchecked. How does your work in the arts and with the sacred responds to such aberrant forces?

EM:  My artwork is created by carving into thick multilayers of colored paint which meant to be touched, stroked and experienced by everyone who sees it. It is through this touching that it is “seen” through the eyes and the hands. I notice that people who do that connect with it in a very electrifying and personal way. The artwork is somehow able to connect with and exchange energy with the viewer. Each person experiences something different. I believe that the artwork is able to speak in an infinite number of languages—it speaks directly with the individual. I say that not because I wishfully imagine it but because the spectators tell me things like “It gives me goose bumps” or “I feel like crying,” or whatever they feel.   And when I ask what they see in it they tell me all kinds of things—nothing to do with what I see or have named it.

I create my work very organically, carving lines into the layers of paint, starting with a few lines or forms that I then play and experiment with, within aesthetic and formal considerations.  However, this peeling off of layers always carries with it things that I’m reminded of. Those memories may be of things found in nature, or in a story, or in a personal experience. I go with those memories for as long as I intuit as necessary. Some of these memories may be joyful, others, pensive, regretful, painful, etc. I process it through y carving until I feel it no longer pulls me. Then I move to something else—again, reconsider the formal aspects of art-making, such as volume, shape, color, rhythm, etc. I know that I’m finished with the piece when I am totally and passionately in love with every centimeter of it. Then I see what I feel is an appropriate title and give it a name.

However, I’ve discovered that my artwork doesn’t just have one name. It has millions of them.  Just like my two children, my artwork just “passes” through me. It never met my expectations before their birth. They gestated  in me and  I gave them birth but I will never really fully know them. Their peers, friends, lovers, spouses, teachers, acquaintances, everyone knows them  in a different way to which I will never be fully proxy to. It’s the same with my artwork. It develops a unique relationship with each one that “sees” by looking and touching it.

Getting back to your question, I feel that in doing this, the artwork is healing—it is able to help each one of us think about what they see and process it through their own personal history and needs.  I know this because several people have shared their most private experiences with me—many which they’ve never shared with anyone else. I believe that through this revival of memory and processing people are able to feel great connectedness, that energy that the Maya people saw so clearly. It’s the pull of that mystical experience that religious icons help us go past the superficial, the merely visual. The feeling of being bound by a greater all-encompassing force that disallows divisions.  

NDEREOM: I will take a step back to inquire about the kind of care for self and others that you engage with on a regular basis, as an artist, as a woman, and as a person of Mexican lineages. How does painting and creativity play into this? I am asking because I have seen the opposite effects of healing, not really in regard to creativity, but as it pertains to an Art Industry that can be toxic and competitive. I have seen friends internalize that they are not enough because of where they stand in connection to the pyramid that the Art Industry has generated, and which is part of the Art system in place now. F*ck art stars and influencers. There is an amazing amount to good work being done by people we have not even heard about.

EM:  I would not pretend that I do anything special.  Anyone can do what I do. All they have to do is apply many layers of different colored paint (letting each layer dry before applying the next one) until they find a good thickness (I decide that when I start to seek the various colors emerge as I carve the normally 15-20 layers— that works for me)  As a Mexican American (my Dad was American whose lineage goes back to the ship after the Mayflower, named Charles Dickens Holcomb. My mother was Mexican and I was the eldest of 4 children of which I was the only one born in Mexico. However, my Dad adored Mexico and spoke only Spanish with us and I learned from my early schooling in Mexico and my Mexican family about the wonders of our Mexican Original Peoples (of which there are so many: Olmec, Toltec, Maya, Mixtec, Aztec, Zapotec, Huichol, Yaqui, Cora, etc. Mexico has over 200 native languages but the official, colonial language is Spanish. It was this great understanding of my native ancestry and their incredible accomplishments that has always supported my self-esteem and my ability to disregard the ignorance of the monolingual, provincial and racist attitudes I’ve always found in the US. It has helped me keep my head up high as I stand up with mine and ALL people of color, other religions, other ethnicities, non-binary genders, and with nature that cannot stand for itself. We are only one human race but we are connected with all life and even what we consider non-life but shares the original stardust energies of the Big Bang (as the great poet Ernesto Cardenal says in his epic poem Cantico Cósmico, Cosmic Canticle

As to the artwork being created today, I am very happy to see it include the artwork of everyone on the planet.  I love seeing all peoples rejoicing in their identities. It wasn’t like that when I was at Cal Arts in the ‘70s. At that time, art was not only a-political, it was a-human. It could not show any human connection.  Artist went so far as to erase what they could from paintings to hide any human trace. I participated in that. I made artwork by letting a can of paint spill out onto a canvas.  I can only tell you that such work stirred no one. One felt absolutely any connection to it. That was the “great art” of the day and nothing else was considered worthy. Certainly nothing that contained any semblance of a political comment was acceptable. And women artists were very rarely part of that scene. I decided to pursue law as a career instead and dropped out. Then one day I discovered a tiny image of a piece by Francis Bacon that absolutely mesmerized me. It was riveting. And it changed the entire art scene.

NDEREOM: Tell me about your Requiem for a Woman performance. I read a few days ago how over one million young women in the Dominican Republic quit attending school. I could not believe this, and I know that women are, in my opinion, the real movers and shakers of the world we live in.

EM:  Requiem for a Woman was a sort of tiny “opera,” or performance I put together with some beautiful classical pieces from Mozart, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Manuel de Falla and Horacio Guarany. It was shown together with a series of artworks I called JESUSITA EN CHIHUAHUA.  I created it in response to the femicide taking place in the border state of Chihuahua which is in northern deserts of Mexico. This occurred after the 1994 NAFTA free trade agreement between Mexico and the US which caused thousands of foreign investors bringing factories to Mexico to take advantage of the low cost of labor and proximity to the US.  Myriads of people flocked to the North of Mexico to provide their services but Mexico was not adequately prepared for such a sudden influx of people descending on its territory.  There was no proper lighting, security or lighting and the natural anonymity of the immigrants propitiated human exploitation and trafficking to which women were particularly vulnerable. Their raped and mutilated bodies suddenly appeared all over the desert.

It is not a secret that in a machista culture such as is present in most Latin American countries women are seen mostly as sexual objects. Femicide in Mexico has been a constant issue which worsened after the introduction of NAFTA. It is far from being resolved, although the development of infrastructure in Northern Mexico has reduced it. My investigation into the issue revealed that violence against women since the 1990s has escalated tremendously worldwide. For example, in 1989 India reported around 300 dowry deaths per year. When I made this series of artworks and the performance piece in 2013 it had increased 17 times that number! In 2025 India has reported 8.,391 dowry deaths so far.

NDEREOM: I would like to know more about Jesusita en Chihuahua.

EM:  Jesusita en Chihuahua is actually the title of a very happy and popular old polka from Northern Mexico. Because the femicide that inspired my artworks was happening mostly in the State of Chihuahua. 

NDEREOM: Let’s make a pause here to talk about appropriation. How do you deal in the creative work that you do with subjects that might not be directly related to your cultures? I have heard people talk about the difference between appreciation and appropriation. I am also the child of syncretism, and I understand that syncretism is not at the core of every culture. I too value the exchange of ideas that honors and respect sources. In other words, I believe that there must be a healthy balance in the flow of ideas and traditions and that, historically, ideas and traditions have crossed borders. And I am totally aware of the violence of homogenizing systems, such as whiteness, maleness, which seek to flatten, assimilate of exclude others.

EM:  I believe that as long as you credit the source it is okay to do so. The problem is when you ignore or try to hide it or make others believe it came from within yourself only. I don’t think anything is truly original. We are born a tabula rasa—a blank slate. Everything we know is by accumulation of experiences. The originality is in the manner we put things together. I don’t see a problem with that. We Mexicans (and most Americans) are mestizos, we  are “mutts,” children of people of various cultures and ethnicities. We are entitled to the legacy of what and where we are born in. 

NDEREOM: You do a considerable amount of traveling. How do these journeys dialogue with your work, and how do the conversations with countries like India and Chile manifest in your paintings and the other media you generate? What have been your experience in terms of responses from those who visit your exhibitions in countries other than the US and Mexico?

EM:  My experience as an artist outside of the US is truly beautiful. It’s wonderful to try new foods, new ways of eating, sitting, greeting. I also am inspired by the different scripts, music, use and combinations of color and patterns. Of course, nature is also different. It’s not unusual to see monkeys, cows, buffalo, goats, etc in the middle of the capital of India: New Delhi, for example. The ubiquitousness of their historic buildings is emotionally and overwhelmingly filling. These experiences become part of my subconscious which will suddenly spring up unexpectedly as I carve away in my artwork.  Interpersonal find far more respect and embracing attitude than I find here. People outside the US tend to be far more effusive and demonstrative. That is really lovely. But people are basically the same everywhere.  What I find most impactful is to see difference in the way people do things, solve problems, their humor, their priorities. For example, people outside the US seem far more connected to each other, have a stronger connection to friends and family and they’re far more informal in their personal dealings. In the US we have to literally make an appointment to see friends. We lack a lot of the emotive spontaneity I see in Mexico, Chile an India. I love that.

NDEREOM: It took me a while to understand Latinidades and Latinxidades in Texas, and I am still a neophyte. I have been to California on several occasions, and I cannot say that I have a grasp on how to be Latino there. How has it been for you to embody Latinidad/Latinxidad in the Californian side of the United Sates? Can you talk about Chicanidad, if this is of pertinence to you and your upbringing?

EM:  I don’t know that I can really respond to that in any intelligent way. All I know is that I grew up in East Los Angeles, home of the Mexican American community. I found it very “normal.”  I went to public schools (it was the days when California had wonderful public schools and public libraries were in every neighborhood). My mom and dad split when I was just 6 and my mom became a single mom. She often worked more than one job. Her biggest concern was that we go to university and become professionals and her greatest fear was that my brothers not join a gang. They never did. I found it fascinating when I attended UCLA in the Westside that most Angelenos knew nothing of East LA and considered it “unsafe.”. I couldn’t figure out why. I still don’t. I think Americans are afraid of poor neighborhoods. I have never been. But I saw that in Mexico, Chile and India, too. Somehow, they think that we are different. It reminds me of the silly question people often ask me: “How does it feel to be married to an Indian?” I wonder if my parents were asked the same question as they were both from different countries too. It’s all a product of seeing other people as “different.” I have trouble understanding that.

NDEREOM: I am glad that you are doing what you are doing creatively speaking at a time when there seems to be such hatred for Latinas/os/es/x in this country. You bring aspects of our cultures into the visual realm, when all we are pushed to see is our people being handcuffed, humiliated, discarded, harassed… This is despite the fact that this, including great swaths of the US, has been the ancestral land of many peoples and cultures subsumed by what is now referred to as Mexico. 

EM:  Absolutely.  Most Americans forget that half of Mexico was taken by force by the US in the mid-1800s. Thus, Mexicans are not the immigrants, they are. And this ignorance will only worsen with the re-writing of history that is being done by this administration at this very moment. They refuse to believe that immigrants are responsible for only a tiny number of crimes but they contribute billions to this country’s economy without rights to any public benefits: medical care, welfare, and Social Security pensions. Without immigrants this country will slide like a ball rolling down a hill into the abyss. The rhetoric against others is closing off any allies earned by winning hearts and minds which was the secret of our historic ascent. 

NDEREOM: What is your relationship with, or how do you connect connect with Pueblos Originarios, First Nation Peoples. I know that you have found inspiration in some of their spiritualities. Have you thought about collaborating with groups within Pueblos Originarios to generate art?

EM:  I am not.  And I don’t want it to be an artificial connection. I don’t want to impose my art onto a people I find “interesting”,  I want it to be organic and real, born of a natural occurring relationship.  For example, my artwork establishes a special connection with blind people but happens naturally. Just about 3 weeks ago we had a group of young art students visit the Mexico pavilion (where two of my large format works are displayed) at the Bihar Museum 2025 Biennale. These children talked about their experiences after “seeing” my art with their hands. That is very gratifying and it’s also a very natural, organic connection born of something real.  It’s not a set superimposed on them. They came to see art that they were allowed and encouraged to touch. I’m all for that and I can’t wait to see what they do with their own practice. I’ve been giving some thought to perhaps doing a residency working with blind people. I just have to figure out how to do something without exposing them to the risk of injury with the carving tools. 

NDEREOM: You have a whole body of paintings that you tiled Myth. Which has been the role of myth in your life and how do you see the role of myth within the collective? We as a collective seem to be engaged in a battle between those who are choosing to pull back into a past that favors ecocide, fossil fuel consumption, mysogeninsm, racism and all harming isms; and a those who see the light and know that we must move forward with how we relate to each other and the planet. Myth is key to all of this. There are the myths concocted by conspiracy theories, nativism, exceptionalism and the like; and there are the Earth-based spiritual myths that call for a radical shift toward care.

EM:  I am fascinated by the human experience. As a child, I read all the fairy tale books and mythologies I could find. I see myths as representing the universal questions and answers/proposals for life in the cosmic visions of many cultures. As I grew I saw the lessons these stories tell: the fatal flaws of human nature. I saw the connections to real life. This has been even more so in my legal practice, both as a a criminal prosecutor and a family law attorney. What I’ve see there has also informed my artwork. I’ve met personally several “Medeas,” “Minotaurs,”, “Europas,” “Orpheus,’” “Sitas,” “Psyches,” and others in my day. Myths also remind us of our connection to the plant/animal kingdoms and even the earth itself with its mountains, glaciers, rivers, oceans, forests, deserts, plains, etc. and our obligation to protect. That is why the Maya ritual of seeking permission and thanking the plans for allowing their being plucked for medicinal uses demonstrates this reverence for the environment. 

Myths have so many valuable things to teach us. But it is true that they can be perverted to use and control people. I see it in this country as well as in India. I try to deal with it with my own knowledge of what the original lessons really stand for and remind people of it—but it isn’t easy. I do feel that art can make us more empathic, critical, and remind us of history and in that sense art is an invaluable contribution to the world.

NDEREOM: Have you had any first-hand experience with the sacred that you might be willing to share?

EM:  I don’t consider myself a particularly religious person, but I know that when I am in some sort of temple or church, I feel the faith and devotion of the people around me and witness and understand why it takes you to a mystical, sacred space. It’s very moving because I empathize with those around me who are seeking answers to their deepest needs and desires and it makes me feel like crying, and at the same time lighter when I leave. I interpret that as a mystical experience which I do feel enriches my life.  

NDEREOM: There are layers in painting, technically speaking. What has been your experience with layers and dimensions of other kinds, beyond formalism, and into unseen realms? Can painting help one travel to these worlds?  Any particular story in your life?

EM:  Absolutely, I have had many such experiences.  I feel that my carving peels away old scars, revealing past injuries, both self-made experienced from others.  These are the essence of my artwork which I feel that when others touch and experience it personally probably awakens other feelings in them—that is how I interpret the reactions I see in those who feel and see my artwork.

NDEREOM: Is there anything else that you would like to add to this conversation before saying goodbye for now? I thank you.

EM:  Another thing I discovered by my encouraging people to touch my work is that it removes for many the barriers, the intimidation they feel about art and galleries/museums. They hesitate to some into the gallery/museum or get close to it, saying that they “know nothing about art.” I reassure them that they need no preparation, just like they don’t need to analyze the song of a bird (as Picasso eloquently explained). I tell them they must allow themselves to explore and experience directly by touching it and letting it speak to them personally.  I see their reactions in their faces when they do so and they frequently comment that they’ve never seen an art exhibition before and that they really are happy they did. That is a very gratifying response which I think helps art and artists—and that is very important in my book.

Eval Malhorta’s links: Website / Instagram / Contac

Eva Malhotra is visual artist born in Mexico, residing California. Malhotra makes sculptural “paintings” carving into multicolored layers of acrylic paint using wood carving tools. In 2025 she had a series of solo exhibitions including one entitled CALL TO THE MYSTIC, a series inspired by Mexico’s Maya civilization. It is comprised of 7 large-format pieces, two of which are presently in 2025 Biennale exhibition in the Mexico pavilion of the Bihar Museum of Art in Patna, India.  She also has different exhibition entitled MURMULLOS, works inspired by Juan Rulfo’s literary work at the Museum of the College of Fine Arts of the Autonomous University of Chile in Talca (South America) which was also shown  April/May 2025 at the Museum in Santiago, Chile, South America. In March 2025 Malohtra exhibited the series CALL TO THE MYSTIC at the Shridarani Gallery in New Delhi, India. In 2024-2025 her monumental piece entitled CALL TO THE SACRED (part of CALL TO THE MYSTIC series) was exhibited at the Triennial.2 exhibition at the Museum of CECUT in Tijuana, Mexico. In April/May 2023 Malhotra showed a series entitled DREAMING IN JAPANESE at the Seiriki Museum in Okawa, Fukuoka Prefacture, Japan. In 2021 she had a solo exhibition DONDE ANIDA LA TRISEZA with the artwork inspired by the writer, Juan Rulfo which is presently in Chile. In November 2025 through January 2026, Malhotra will exhibit a Myth inspired works in the MYTH OF DESCENT on Inanna/Ishtar, the Mesapotamian goddess, at the Philosophical Research Library, Hollywood, California.