Elena Guadiana Segovia
Elena Guadiana Segovia is a second-generation Mexican artist born in Chicago Heights, Illinois. She resided in Illinois until she was 6 years old when her family decided to uproot and move to Indianapolis, Indiana. Here, her father was able to establish his business as the owner of Mexican grocery stores. Being a part of a household of Mexican immigrants and a family business greatly impacted her upbringing and pathway towards the arts. Although her afterschool hours and summers were spent working in the store, she was able to capture the tender moments that were in mundane activities like grocery shopping. Elena knew the importance of having familiar spaces for latine families to come in to purchase mercansilla like tortillas or carnitas. The interactions between her own family and other immigrant families were simple but of great importance for the community. Since Catholicism is ingrained into many Latine cultures, Elena has been able to show her experience through intimate pieces of work. She has experience working with mediums like: ceramics, acrylic paints, oil paints, fabric, photography, and fashion designing.
From childhood, Elena had an interest in the arts and quickly pursued fashion, photography, and ceramic classes throughout high school. Being able to access supplies and having mentorship throughout high school helped their creativity flourish. In 2022, she debuted her acrylic painting, “Afraid of the Dark” for an art show through Chomatic Collective. Since then, Elena has worked closely with her peers in the community to vendor pieces at hubspots in Indy like coffee shop, Provider Coffee, and local art gallery, Storage Space Collective. In late November of 2024, Elena was invited to studio assist ceramic artist Phoebe Scott. There she learned valuable sculpture and firing techniques. In February of 2025, Elena and other Latine artists were granted the opportunity to exhibit pieces at the Guichelaar Gallery that highlighted the complex relationships between latine mothers and daughters. There she exhibited ceramic and fashion pieces “Concepcion" and “Ocultar”. Through touch and stitch, she was able to express the many difficulties women face throughout all cultures but most importantly latine women. In March of 2025, Elena was selected as a cohort member of the Latino Artist Mentorship Program. Here she has made connections with a variety of different artists in the state of Indiana. Through LAMP she has been able to create a sense of solidarity and collaborations with local artists.
Now feeling ambitious and ready, Elena will continue to create pieces that embody the troubles she has faced throughout her life and throughout her community. She will highlight the mistreatment of BIPOC queer people, the femicide that occurs in Mexico and other native/indigenous cultures, abuse within the catholic archdiocese, abortion rights, and immigrant rights. Although she is currently working at a small scale, she is beginning to dream big. You can expect her to see her in the community supporting other BIPOC creatives in Indianapolis. Elena will be diving into organizing community events that blends culture and the arts. She will go on to share her Mexican heritage through her work and pass the torch for the next generation of latine artists.
