Inside the Studio

Xochi Solis on site-specific installations

Artist Xochi Solis pinning oversized pieces of brightly colored paper to a white wall in her studio.

Xochi Solis expands on her interest in large-scale works and installations in this overview of some of her favorite projects.

Three mixed-media collages by artist Xochi Solis, two framed and one large site-specific work, installed on a white wall in the Galveston Arts Center.
Installation shot from Rooted by invisible means, May 30 – August 16, 2020. Photo by Roxann Grover. Courtesy of Galveston Arts Center. Galveston Arts Center – Galveston, TX.
A close-up of an oversized, site-specific collage installed on a white wall by artist Xochi Solis.
Installation shot from Rooted by invisible means, May 30 – August 16, 2020 Photo by Roxann Grover. Courtesy of Galveston Arts Center. Galveston Arts Center – Galveston, TX.
Elevation sketch of artist Xochi Solis' large-scale installed next to a human for scale.
Process shot of Across a cloud of sleep, 2020. Gouache, house latex paint, acrylic, colored pencil, lithograph, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, colored paper, and found images on panel. 100 x 80 inches. HALL Arts Hotel - Dallas, TX.

The most exciting thing about being invited to create a site-specific installation is that I get the opportunity to fully engage with the architectural space that will house the final large-scale collage. It is unique to my installation practice that I get to inhabit the same space as the viewer. As I adhere the work layer by layer directly to the wall, I get to ruminate on every detail of a space. From the light hitting the wall at a particular hour to the number of electrical outlets and switch plates, each element has its role in the construction of the layers of my work and how the viewer will receive it upon its completion.

Xochi Solis

Printed source material for artist Xochi Solis' site-specific collage installation.
Process shot of Across a cloud of sleep, 2020. Gouache, house latex paint, acrylic, colored pencil, lithograph, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, colored paper, and found images on panel. 100 x 80 inches. HALL Arts Hotel - Dallas, TX.
A close-up of artist Xochi Solis painting green ink on a piece of paper in her studio.
Process shot of Across a cloud of sleep, 2020. Gouache, house latex paint, acrylic, colored pencil, lithograph, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, colored paper, and found images on panel. 100 x 80 inches. HALL Arts Hotel - Dallas, TX.
Three original collages by artist Xochi Solis, two framed and one large site-specific work, installed on a white wall in a dining room with a long glass table and blue chairs.
Installation shot from "Tribeza Interiors Tour 2017", January 22, 2017. Home of Shalini Ramanathan + Chris Tomlinson - Austin, TX. Photography by Sandy Carson.

Depending on the location, the scale of my installation work varies from six to fifteen feet in diameter. Frequently these works require me to stretch my full five-foot-four frame to its limits. Each wide brush stroke of paint or large paper cut matches and mirrors the movements of my body, every pinned and adhered element marks the limits of my anatomy.

Xochi Solis

Stacks of books and magazines on a lime green bench in artist Xochi Solis' studio.
Site-specific installation of found material and handmade paper by artist Xochi Solis.
In the cracks between worlds, 2018. Gouache, house paint, acrylic, spray paint, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, SolarFast™ shadow prints, colored paper, and found images. Site-specific installation (detail). 95 x 136 inches. Wrong Marfa - Marfa, TX.
Artist Xochi Solis crouching down on a plastic mat, surrounded by sheets of colorful paper and patterns.
Process shot of We were not always fallen from the mountain, 2017. Gouache, house paint, acrylic, spray paint, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, SolarFast™ shadow prints, naturally-dyed and handmade paper, colored paper, and found images. Photography by Jeff Wells. Courtesy of the Denver Art Museum - Denver, CO.

The largest and most complex installation I have ever completed was for the Denver Art Museum. The final work required a year to collect and create materials that I installed over a full week utilizing a tow-behind crane and two dedicated assistants. The large-scale suite consisted of five collages, each work measuring approximately fifteen feet in diameter and towering over museum visitors, spanning the height of four stories.

Xochi Solis

Artist Xochi Solis standing in front of table with a pile with oversized, naturally-dyed paper and printouts of collage material.
Process shot of We were not always fallen from the mountain, 2017. Gouache, house paint, acrylic, spray paint, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, SolarFast™ shadow prints, naturally-dyed and handmade paper, colored paper, and found images. Photography by Jeff Wells. Courtesy of the Denver Art Museum - Denver, CO.
Artist Xochi Solis and an assistant in a cherry picker installing a site-specific collage work on a white wall.
Installation shot of We were not always fallen from the mountain, 2017. Gouache, house paint, acrylic, spray paint, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, SolarFast™ shadow prints, naturally-dyed and handmade paper, colored paper, and found images. Photography by Jeff Wells. Courtesy of the Denver Art Museum - Denver, CO.
Four mixed-media collages by artist Xochi Solis installed on a slanted white wall in the Denver Museum of Art.
We were not always fallen from the mountain, 2017. Gouache, house paint, acrylic, spray paint, Dura-lar film, digitally printed vinyl, SolarFast™ shadow prints, naturally-dyed and handmade paper, colored paper, and found images. Photography by Jeff Wells. Courtesy of the Denver Art Museum - Denver, CO.

Artworks by Xochi Solis

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