Transcultural displacement, the experience of existing between environments without fully belonging to any, is at the core of my work. Born in Guatemala and later living across the United States, I have never felt entirely at home in either place. In Guatemala my accent and clothes mark me as different, while in the U.S. I am asked to explain who I am and where I come from. This condition of being a hidden immigrant shapes my artistic practice. I create installations from perishable and intimate materials—bread, honey, milk, mandarin peels, coffee—that embody memory, fragility, and impermanence. My installations invite reflection on belonging, offering a temporary home for those navigating hybrid identities.
Based in the New York Metropolitan area, Josué Morales Urbina is an award-winning installation artist whose practice explores transcultural displacement, the state of existing between environments without fully belonging to any. His work engages with foreignness and the impermanence of memory through site specific ephemeral installations made of everyday and perishable materials such as coffee, bread, straws, and rubber bands. Born inGuatemala City and raised across the United States, he identifies as a third culture kid, creating art as a way to build a sense of home. He has exhibited widely, completed several residencies including Skowhegan and Vermont StudioCenter, and was awarded the Jersey City Arts Council Fellowship in 2024.
