2022
CUIR
The themes in my work are influenced by experiences in my home, not only the physical space of what was once my house in El Salvador, but the country itself: the specificities of its language, the role culture plays in suppressing identity and reinforcing dangerous binaries, and the residual trauma that the war exerted on generations of Salvadorans. I explore identification and language through my practice, pointing my lens at places, objects, and events that expand upon the idea of El Salvador. I use different lens-based approaches to render visible that which remains invisible and unspoken in Salvadoran society. I am interested in the ways language and culture inscribe a dominant narrative to national identity and how, through my work, I can counter this.
My work is relational, everything is connected. The war, culture, transness. Through language comes the metaphorical invisibility, in relation to the things I am, or not. I have been using a large format film camera, to create life-size prints. I chose this size to bring awareness to the viewer's own body, in relation to the space they are presencing in that image. As queer/trans people navigating more than two languages, in how we experience the world, separated by time, language, beliefs, and how others identify us. Constantly translating who we are. This work is not only biographical, but language operates to contextualize queerness and transness in my life. Positioning queer and trans narratives within a larger story of queer politics, war politics, and imposed heteronormativity.
Installation images by Alex Barber, courtesy of Art League Houston
