Monday, March 31, 2025

Showcase


Showcase/Vitrina (work in progress)

This work explores how the culture of consumption is shaped by the marketing of cultural symbols. Since my arrival in Chicago in 2022 for an artist residency at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, I have become increasingly aware of how the polarized Puerto Rican community uses patriotic symbols to promote their identity. The Puerto Rican flag, as a symbol of identity, is commodified and transformed into objects of consumption that represent and celebrate the homeland.

The flag’s meaning undergoes a liquefying process, evolving into a retail product. The symbol is used as a method of differentiation, more so than as a reference to daily life. Everyday objects, such as keychains, t-shirts, and headbands, among others, are sold as markers of Puerto Rican identity. This transformation highlights how cultural symbols are re-contextualized to fit the demands of consumerism.

In the broader American context, I also observe that the process of commodifying cultural symbols is not much different. Each season, a flood of seasonal items fills discount stores, with marketing campaigns ramping up months before. The seasonal items are sold with the idea of how to dress "culturally" for the occasion, framing culture itself as a commodity.

My work engages with this socioeconomic process by examining American culture through the lens of well-worn mannequin heads. Since 2022, I have designed costumes for these mannequins using seasonal items purchased from discount stores, capturing them with bespoke studio lighting. This dramatic aesthetic underscores both the marketing process and the critical issue of cultural appropriation, highlighting the tensions between culture and consumerism.


                              
                               













































Monday, March 18, 2024

Welcome

Welcome,

This blog serves the purpose to show and share my fine art photography work. Below there is a list with each series of work. Use each title to access each post. In each post you will find an artist statement (maybe in Spanish {sorry})or a thought about my work, plus some documentation regarding each work. Enjoy.




























Contaminados



























Airplanes (vulnerability induced)


























Blancus (2014) At Art Lab Gallery Santurce, Puerto Rico


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                








Bucal

 Bucal (from mouth) (2006

Bucal is a is a photography series about the encounter in a first kiss. Two are lost in the mouth chambers finding their way to a physical enjoyment and pleasant feelings. Dentist panoramic x rays are the landscape for this encounter never reach. My purpose is that feeling of lost and desperation in a kiss.