For Beliz Iristay, the past year has been a series of ups and downs.
First, two exhibitions of her ceramic-based work were postponed after galleries and art spaces began to close out of concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak. Like many artists, Iristay did her best to stay productive in quarantine at the Valle de Guadalupe estate she shares with her husband, fellow artist Jamex de la Torre.
But then the worst happened.
“I got diagnosed with COVID and then got pneumonia. I had to take a six-month break because I was sick. I wasn’t able to come back to my studio because my lungs were very sensitive,” says Iristay, who often works with clay, which can generate a lot of dust particles. “Half a year passed with the recovery and symptoms.”