Edra Soto
At Home with the Chicago-based artist, organizer, and Educator
JEUNE OTTE: Tell us about your artwork.
EDRA: My interdisciplinary practice is embedded in visual arts, social practice, and architectural interventions. At this intersection, I strike a balance between an immersive collective experience while also sharing an intimate perspective with my viewers. To achieve this, I create generous and inclusive experiences that engage objects as both a symbol and an archive for understanding history, culture, and formations of knowledge. In dismantling the boundaries between the audience, the work, and my role as artist, I prompt viewers to reconsider the nature of urban space, cross-cultural dynamics, and personal responsibility. I instigate meaningful, relevant, and often difficult conversations surrounding socioeconomic and cultural oppression, erasure of history, and loss of cultural knowledge. Growing up in Puerto Rico, and now immersed in my Chicago community, my work has evolved to raise questions about constructed social orders, diasporic identity, and the legacy of colonialism. JO: What are you most excited about right now?
EDRA: Being a part of the critically acclaimed exhibition no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria at the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was organized by Marcela Guerrero with Jennifer Rubio and Angelica Arbelaez. This exhibition will be on view until the end of April of this year. 
JO: How does fashion & clothing play a role in your life?
EDRA: During my upbringing in Puerto Rico, I didn’t experience seasonal changes, so for half of my life I only had a warm weather appropriate wardrobe. During my elementary and high school years, my mother made a lot of my clothing. Back then, it was cheaper to make your own clothing. My mother was a perfectionist, therefore, an amazing tailor. When I emancipated financially, I started buying my own clothing at department stores. I remember having a more eclectic taste back then. I used to love ruffles and layers and sexy stuff. I became more conservative when I moved to Chicago. I actually felt liberated because I didn’t need my life to be so dependent on how I looked. I’ve always been practical and now that I’m middle age, I’ve been more compelled to collect nice items that I can combine with classic pieces like black trousers or denim jeans or jackets. Living in a place like Chicago, experiencing all the seasons, I end up having way more clothing than what I wish to own, but each season and weather requires a type of coat or layers. I’ve been editing my coat closet to have classic and necessary pieces. Not a lot of thrills, but things that I love.JO: Any thoughts on Jeune Otte and the way the clothes look and feel?
EDRA: Jeune Otte is beautifully tailored and feels lovely on my body. The line carries a great variety of classic pieces that can all be paired with one another. I love the quality of the fabric and the fabrication. Each piece is very special. I don’t wear a lot of bright colors, so it is very special to have a nice pink pop of color in my very monochromatic wardrobe. JO: Thanks Edra!
PHOTOS by STeph Murray
