Artist Statement:
As an artist, my work seeks to elevate the collective voices of muxeres/womyn who inspire me through the essence of who they are – muxeres who challenge and defy by our mere existence, but also as a living legacy of the stories that have shaped us into who we have become both individually and collectively. Part of my process involves holding space for these collective voices in ways that encourage us to hear each other in the intersticios of comadrazgo (those informal spaces of connection and community grounded in the feminine). My work aims to capture the imagery of everyday activism, healing, and culture in the fullness of how it speaks to me, through black and white images that hold the power of possibility, the legacy of our ancestors, and the reclamation of how we decenter the narratives of the status quo. With every finished work, I seek to make each piece speak through simplicity. The challenge is in also having this simplicity speak layers symbolically as my artwork speaks to our fierce need to take up space unapologetically while thriving in the fullness of our authenticity.
Hocicona is an homage to muxeres who have often been told to be softer versions of ourselves in order to succeed, gain access to space, be more inviting, lean in, and other self-deprecating well-intentioned advice that harms us in the long term. Hocicona reminds us to speak our truth and give in to that wicked other --for she was never the threat to ourselves we were lead to believe, but rather she is that powerful part of ourselves that threatens the status quo and is therefore silenced into erasure.
Orgullosa is a nod, hip bump, and a fist in the air to mujeres who have often been told to be less, smaller, quieter. She defies the idea that we must somehow discard parts of who we are and where we came from in order to succeed. With bold red lips, in full urban classic style, she relentlessly claims space, place, and pride, modeling what it is to collectively bloom. It all starts with one mujer, leading defiantly, unapologetically -because her sense of self is community forged and carries a constellation of people, family, community, and the heart of an entire city.
Lady Liberty reminds us that true liberation has always been within us. Muxeres have been the keepers of cultura and responsible for sustaining our families and communities. Often, their contributions go unnoticed, uncelebrated beyond romanticized and colonized misinterpretations of our stories. This piece is also a reminder that we didn't need a statue to welcome us because we've always been here - defiant, strong, sin permiso.