Jiovanny Soto is a second-generation Mexican American mixed-media artist whose practice is shaped by curanderismo, music, photography, spirituality, and a callejero way of life. Through his travels across Mexico and the United States, Soto explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and cultural connection. Moving between celebrations, everyday encounters, moments of joy, and experiences of loss, he continues to build a deeper relationship with both his Mexican and Chicano roots.

 

Drawing from Mexican and Chicano visual culture, including the resourceful spirit of rascuachismo and storytelling , Soto uses imagery, found materials, and personal narratives to document glimpses of life as it is lived. His work reflects the experience captured in the phrase “ni de aquí ni de allá”—neither fully from here nor there. As someone who has often been viewed as not American enough because of his brown skin and not Mexican enough because he was born north of the border, Soto's work examines the space between these identities and the possibilities that emerge within it.

 

By crossing the U.S.–Mexico border that once seemed to define and limit his sense of self, Soto reclaims that space as a site of connection, memory, and discovery. His work is informed by the people, communities, and experiences he encounters along the way—whether visiting historical landmarks, sharing stories over a caguama at a neighborhood bar, or finding moments of reflection during long nights on the road. These experiences become a form of social research grounded in lived experience, human connection, and cultural exchange.Themes of community, celebration, and resilience appear throughout Soto's work. Mexican beer brands, for example, frequently surface as symbols of gathering, hospitality, and cultural pride. For Soto, sharing a caguama is more than a casual act; it is a gesture of friendship, respect, and belonging.

 

At its core, Soto's practice is about movement—across borders, between cultures, and through the relationships that shape us. As a callejero, he is always in search of new stories, new connections, and new ways of understanding home.

 

De callejero, Soto anda en todos lados menos en su casa.

(As a wanderer of the streets, Soto can be found everywhere except at home.)