Diego Florez-Arroyo Wants You To Call Your Mom
This Halloween, Union Hall debuted Denver poet, artist, and musician Diego Florez-Arroyo’s solo exhibition WARNING: Mi Amá. The exhibition focuses on themes and symbols of “mother” in all forms and includes newly commissioned, site-specific installations, sculpture, drawings, murals, collage, and the artist’s largest painting to-date. Committed to feminine and ancestral motifs, Diego dressed as a grandmother during the opening reception, nurturing the message that every living being is connected through one single truth — we all originated from a mother.
I interviewed Florez-Arroyo to get an even deeper understanding around the making of WARNING: Mi Amá.
Gallery view of WARNING: Mi Amá. PC: Raymundo Muñoz
What first inspired you conceptually when making artwork for WARNING: Mi Amá?
WARNING: Mi Amá was a seed that sprouted during the writing process of my latest theatrical work, Cuauhtémoczin. During the play’s second iteration, our director, Phil Luna, brought to my attention that in the final scenes, the main character, Dante, lacked a resolution to his character arc. Dante, having spent his life in prison and now growing into an old man, had not resolved or accepted his feelings toward his mother and all she had done for him.
This confrontation prompted me to reflect on my own life. I realized that for Dante’s arc to feel complete, I needed to write from a place of personal resolution. This led to a deep self-examination of my relationship with my own mother. Through this process, I began to scratch the surface of healing. My mother’s deportation when I was 16 years old profoundly shaped my life and my drive to succeed. Yet, I knew I had only begun to explore this in my writing. I wanted to delve deeper into my connection with her.
After months of reflection, I came to understand that the essential thread tying everything together was the concept of motherhood. Knowing that this exhibition would take place during the 2024 election season, I felt the work needed to focus on unity, self-reflection, and healing. By centering on the three mothers—the Spiritual, the Earth, and the Biological—I found a powerful foundation for growth, not only in the creative process but also in the viewer’s experience.
Can you tell us more about what the exhibition title represents?
The title WARNING: Mi Amá is deeply layered, representing the concept of our 3 mothers, the challenges, strength, and nurturing they embody. While the story and connection of my biological mother is the central seed to the exhibition, the title expands far beyond her story, touching on broader, universal themes.
The “Earth Mother” is represented in the painting Warning: Mi Amá, which calls attention to our planet and the urgent need for environmental care. The “Spiritual Mother” is embodied by Coatlicue, the Aztec goddess known as the mother of the universe. Coatlicue represents creation, destruction, and rebirth—a cycle of life that mirrors the spiritual journey of nurturing oneself—represented in a concrete reinterpretation of the ancient artifact made by my Mexica ancestors. Finally, my own biological mother’s story is central to the title’s meaning. Her story reflects the complexities of maternal love, shaped by sacrifice and survival, and it underscores the emotional journey I undertook in reconnecting with her and exploring the meaning of motherhood from the perspective of a child.
Together, these layers of the Earth Mother, the Spiritual Mother, and my own mother weave a rich narrative of resilience, healing, and connection. The title WARNING: Mi Amá is a powerful call to action, self-reflection, and understanding, inviting viewers to engage with these themes on both personal and universal levels.
Several visitors have noted this exhibition as an evolution from previous, even recent works of yours. Tell us more about this shift.
This exhibition represents a significant evolution in my creative journey, one that reflects not only the times we live in but also a profound process of self-reflection. Each piece became its own distinct statement—some raw and powerful, others subtle and introspective—because each was driven by a unique emotional or intellectual impulse. As a result, the work doesn’t look the same. Instead, it mirrors the diversity of the human experience, the shifting nature of our emotions, and the complexity of the visions I seek to share.
This shift is also about letting go of uniformity and embracing the freedom to experiment. In previous works, I may have adhered to more consistent forms or thematic cohesion, but with this exhibition, I’ve leaned into the idea that art can take on many shapes to express the same core truth. This evolution reflects not just the growth of my practice but also the need to respond to the present moment with authenticity and urgency.
Ultimately, this shift is less about changing direction and more about deepening my practice. I see it as an expansion of my creative voice, one that allows me to explore new ways of engaging with both myself and the audience. This exhibition is a testament to the power of embracing the unknown and being willing to follow where the emotion and the message lead. It feels fresh and exploratory while still being deeply connected to the themes and intentions that have always driven my work—community, justice, healing, and the expression of complex personal truths. This evolution is about creating work that not only reflects me as an artist but also speaks to the broader, ever-changing human experience.
How does community factor into your creative practice?
Born and raised in Denver’s Northside, my community is the foundation of my creative practice, shaping everything I do across visual art, music, poetry, and writing. Growing up in a predominantly Chicano neighborhood, I was deeply influenced by the Chicano Movement’s crusade for justice and the fight for equality, cultural pride, and self-determination. That legacy is something I carry with me in every creative endeavor—it drives me to tell stories that honor the struggles, resilience, and beauty of my community while continuing the fight for representation and justice.
Community is not just a source of inspiration for me—it’s the audience I hope to serve and uplift. My work aims to preserve our stories, celebrate our culture, and foster a sense of unity and healing. Through every medium I explore, I hope to spark dialogue, encourage reflection, and remind people of the power of our collective roots and the enduring legacy of those who fought for justice before us.”
WARNING: Mi Amá is on view at Union Hall through January 4th excluding holiday closures.
For a more in-depth look into the exhibition, you can watch Florez-Arroyo’s artist talk on YouTube, or read a review by Ray Rinaldi in the Denver Post. Keep a lookout for more artwork from Florez-Arroyo in March, 2025 at Taza Cafe inside the Adams County Government Building.