I am an artist whose work is rooted in concepts of otherness, inspired by my queer, non-binary, HIV-positive, Latinx identity. As intersectionality informs my practice, my work is naturally interdisciplinary — involving textiles, photography, sculpture, installation, and more.
A central part of my artwork is based in fiber, underscoring queer/feminist ideologies within the gendered history of women’s work. This can be seen in my 2019 solo exhibition Queering the Landscape, where I documented desert landscapes with a camera gifted to me by a queer elder. I then rendered these landscapes as wall-hangings, using a lace-making stitch called faggoted fringe. By stitching a reclaimed label of my identity into the work, I challenge the heteronormative and art historical narratives surrounding the American West.
My work also speaks to queer histories and the idea of the archive, evident in my current photo series titled Reinserted. I source archival images of sex workers and people cruising in sexually charged spaces of great historical importance to the LGBTQ community. I then take photos of the same locations in the present day, and digitally reinsert the subjects from the past into the present. This act of virtual time travel recenters queerness in spaces that have been lost to social factors like AIDS and gentrification.
Throughout my work, cultural and personal embodiment of self is paramount to unfolding the layers of meaning. Each of my investigations into these meanings bring about new questions as to how we see ourselves or want to be seen.