The Rabbit King with a remnant of “Rabbit’s Storytelling Throne (bunny gate detail),
Acrylic on canvas; mixed media on found wood
30”x40”, 2020
This piece is part of my ongoing “Rabbit Royalty” series, a work in progress that reclaims the othering expression “They breed like rabbits.” This expression is often used to degrade minority groups, often immigrant ones, for having larger than average families or “overpopulating” a place in the speaker’s view. As a child, my siblings and I would retreat from such xenophobic comments through fantasy. “The Rabbit King” is a child-like portrait of a bunny monarch, full of pride—not shame—for his kingdom.
——————————————————————————–
“On the Inside Looking Out” by the 2020 AnkhLave Garden Project Fellows
Unbalanced Burden
Mixed media on Mylar
10’ (H) x 5’(W) x 4’(D), 2021
Last summer I exhibited on the Green Roof here in the Queens Botanical Garden, “Dry Garden” inspired by the Japanese “Karesansui”.
During the completion of the work at home, I have witnessed the incomparable unbalance of burden on essential workers in New York. I wanted to express the unbearable weight on them, with gratitude from the bottom of my heart. Small rock is holding such an enormous burden. Thank you for your courage to serve.
Flying Fish (Diptych)
Acrylic paint on polyester film and cellophane
78 x 36”, 2021
Flying iridescent fish at pedestrian eye level populate the windows and create shadows as sunlight filters through. The image suggests community and moving forwards, as the fish is a creature that only swims forwards, never backwards.
Untitled
Acrylic over a wood canvas, pussy willow branches, rope
2021
This painting is a reflection about those who suffer from poverty and violence in Brazil. Because of polarization of politics, the move away from social benefits for the population, and most recently the pandemic, people are being forced to do extraordinary things to survive.
The sparrows represent the people of Brazil. Sparrows are a common bird, brought to the Americas by conquistadores. In the painting, one lone sparrow flies out, moving away from a broken branch. The other birds are static, unaware of the disturbance nearby. The broken branches go trough the painting, trapping and growing around the sparrows. The red is a reference to revolution, and blood.
Flores de Femicidio/ Víctimas de Enero 2019
Femicide Florals / Víctimas from January 2019
Cyanotype on watercolor paper, glue, wire and string
size variable , 2019-2021
My most recent project Flores de Femicidio examines gender-based violence against women in Argentina. Flores de Femicidio investigates and documents the rising numbers of femicides occurring in Argentina during the entire year of 2019. Each cyanotype flower represents a specifc victim of femicide, who is memorialized with a label that honors each woman by her name. This installation is currently in the works and continues to grow as the numbers of femicides continue to increase. The entire years worth of flowers (327) is to be completed in 2021 with QCA New Works Grant.
Bunny Gate (Rabbit’s Storytelling Throne detail)
Mixed media assemblage
48”x36”, 2021
This piece is part of my ongoing “Rabbit Royalty” series, a work in progress that reclaims the othering expression “They breed like rabbits.” This expression is often used to degrade minority groups, often immigrant ones, for having larger than average families or “overpopulating” a place in the speaker’s view. As a child, my siblings and I would retreat from such xenophobic comments through fantasy. “Rabbit’s Storytelling Throne” was a magical hideout meant to replicate the “castles” and “forts” we built to escape from bullies and gossip while elevating rabbits to powerful, magical beings full of their own stories. The bunny gate is one remnant of this outdoor installation at the Queens Botanical Garden (Summer 2020).
