PROJECT TITLE: Retratos Migrantes: An Exploration of Freedom, Acceptance, and Belonging at the Intersection of Art and Performance

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: My ongoing collaboration with Angela Arteritano, a Venezuelan multimedia artist, inspires me to contribute to her exploration of the connections between different forms of artistic expression, of the struggle to preserve certain traditional elements while being forced to live in exile, and of the liminal space that exists at the intersection of art and performance.

PROJECT STATEMENT: As a photographer, I have been engaged for several years in an extensive, ongoing collaboration with Angela Arteritano across several of her projects that draw on choreography, Flamenco dance, performance art, traditional indigenous materials, and painting to explore the concepts of freedom, acceptance, and belonging as it relates to the Latina Identity within a Contemporary Flamenco setting. Angela's work exemplifies a process of reawakening of the Latinx roots through an interdisciplinary choreographic process. Expanding upon the possibilities of the intersection of art and performance, the work’s environment evolves through the active transformation of an immersive art installation, generating meaning and consolidating form through performance. Furthermore, the transformation of this artwork is driven by a process of restoration of a relationship to Flamenco that is inclusive of the perspective of Latinas in exile. The materials and design were inspired by Venezuelan artisan techniques and traditional artisan elements of Flamenco Dance, creating an opportunity to reconnect to the materials from a primitive state, while presenting an innovative way to interpret tradition. These projects ultimately promote a discourse that situates Venezuelan artists in exile as contributors to a legacy that has been forever displaced, physically, and psychologically.

My own work in the media of photography is unified by a passion to create a compelling visual narrative that captures the unique spirit of each place, its people, and their cultural heritage, as well as the universal truths that unite us all. My mission is to balance rendering the artistic beauty of the world's lands and cultures with advocacy via visual storytelling. In this context, my ongoing collaboration with Angela inspires me to contribute to her exploration of the connections between different forms of artistic expression, of the struggle to preserve certain traditional elements while being forced to live in exile, and of the liminal space that exists at the intersection of art and performance.