A purple graphic with the text 'FORT VISITS' in yellow above a circular inset photo of a person sitting indoors on a woven pouf, wearing a light blue shirt, dark pants, and a red beanie.

Fort Visits

For this edition of “Fort Visits,” we spent time with textile artist Tamika Rivera, whose work stitches together ancestry, activism, and intuition.

From crocheting as a child to honoring Taíno heritage through pieces like “Diosa Luna,” Tamika uses fiber to express chaos, resilience, and connection. Whether she’s working in the mountains of Switzerland or sketching in Brooklyn, her art carries a rhythm that moves across cultures and time.

QHow did textiles as a medium become your focus as an artist?

AAs a child I used crocheting, sewing, and looming as a way to escape the chaos I was experiencing around me. I’m a multidisciplinary artist at heart, but the voice of textile and fiber is my undeniable medium of choice at the moment. It’s the language I use to most fluently express chaos, feminism, resilience and freedom, but also to link cultures, history and the cosmos. In uncertain times, I feel that textiles have a powerful voice.

A red fabric tool roll holding five hand tools with light wood handles and metal tips, photographed on a blue surface with a colorful textured rug in the background.

QWhere do you find inspiration?

AThe Ancestors, nature, cultures and being active in community.

QDiosa Luna is one of our favorite pieces you’ve made, and it speaks to your Puerto Rican and Taíno heritage. How does Taíno culture play a role in your work?

ADiosa Luna is my favorite too! This work connected me to the magical realm of my ancestors, and honors the Taíno moon goddess Diosa Luna. Being raised in a multicultural family with deep ties to Puerto Rican culture, together with my education in Latin cultures, introduced me to a new type of art activism, spiritually awakened activism, which strengthened my connection to my indigenous roots.

A close-up of a highly textured, abstract loop-pile rug featuring a vibrant multicolor design with blue, red, green, yellow, and white organic shapes.

QYou just finished some new work for a group show currently on view at Praxis Gallery here in NYC. What is this work about?

AWarikè, Hekiti Warikè Cuyo, “We see one, we see light.“ Making this work felt raw; my inner works tapping into the collective trauma of division and identity, and reflecting light and dreams of unity. I feel super fortunate to have made this work specifically at this moment for this group exhibition. It feels beyond present and perfect timing.

QWhat is your favorite place to make art?

AOutside on a blanket surrounded by mountains, water and green. I love working in Mexico, the south of France, and Switzerland and then putting it together in Brooklyn. A real New York story.

Three colorful hand-tufted wool rugs with abstract patterns are arranged on a light wood floor, alongside a pair of black 3D glasses and books.

QSounds like you'll be away from the city for a bit this year. What are you most looking forward to with country life?

AThere is something brewing in upstate NY, however I just committed to being in Coyoacan, Mexico City for part of the year so I haven't given up on city life just yet, but looking forward to a more calm, colorful, tree filled city. Although I will be traveling for most of the year I wanted to ground myself in a Latin culture that honors one's indigenousness. It just feels right at the moment for the art I want to make.

QDo you start with sketching to work out ideas or are some pieces made on the fly?

AI make it a priority to draw every day! To keep some structure in my unusual studio practice. I sketch out ideas as tey come to me, sometimes it's repetitive shapes, and sometimes it feels like excessive doodling. Sketching eventually makes room for the textile work to come through and to have a clear channel for work to be made on the fly.

A styled flat-lay featuring a white spiral notebook with hand-drawn black floral sketches, resting on pink lined paper. The notebook is surrounded by other stationery items, including a mustard yellow pencil case, a dark green notebook, and a black-and-white patterned fabric, all arranged on a light wood surface.
A colorful abstract textile wall hanging or tapestry with a stylized face-like composition, featuring blue, red, green, yellow, and white areas. A pink oval sticker reading 'ForI Visits' is placed at the top of the artwork.

QWhile you still call NYC home, what do you love most about being a New Yorker?

AMy years of wild New York stories I have for every block! Being elbow to elbow with every culture, multiple cultures, means great food. And the NYC friendships that are forever bonded in concrete :)

  • A purple graphic with the text 'FORT VISITS' in yellow above a circular inset photo of a person sitting indoors on a woven pouf, wearing a light blue shirt, dark pants, and a red beanie.
  • A red fabric tool roll holding five hand tools with light wood handles and metal tips, photographed on a blue surface with a colorful textured rug in the background.
  • A close-up of a highly textured, abstract loop-pile rug featuring a vibrant multicolor design with blue, red, green, yellow, and white organic shapes.
  • Three colorful hand-tufted wool rugs with abstract patterns are arranged on a light wood floor, alongside a pair of black 3D glasses and books.
  • A close-up of a large woven rope basket or net in natural off-white and gray tones, suspended against a pale blue sky. A dark wooden pole runs through the center, and the top of the basket is attached to hanging ropes.
  • A styled flat-lay featuring a white spiral notebook with hand-drawn black floral sketches, resting on pink lined paper. The notebook is surrounded by other stationery items, including a mustard yellow pencil case, a dark green notebook, and a black-and-white patterned fabric, all arranged on a light wood surface.
  • A colorful abstract textile wall hanging or tapestry with a stylized face-like composition, featuring blue, red, green, yellow, and white areas. A pink oval sticker reading 'ForI Visits' is placed at the top of the artwork.

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