We all have a cultural identity that is
formed by family, community, country, and the world in which we live. Today, selfies
aid in constructing identity by providing a new mode and venue for negotiating
values, perceptions, and assertions. I present myself and my Latino identity
via my selfies. I act both as artist and subject, allowing complete control of
how my image is portrayed to the public. However, by removing my self-portraits
from social media context to the gallery wall of the art world, I add
permanence. Furthermore, my selfies draw on memory to construct identity, in
that they record events, people, and places that are special to me. I am
constantly taking self-portraits with my smart phone, alone or with my husband
and my son, to instantly share on social media and remain connected with family
and friends in the U.S. and in Puerto Rico.
The painted portraits intend to capture the interaction between my life
here in Massachusetts and my bond to Puerto Rico, my birthplace.
The act of exploring the meaning and
location of borders, boundaries, and zones of transitions is what theorist Homi
Bhaba names as “In-betweeness” (Robertson, p178). My series #Inbetween2worlds
aims to document the now easy transition between two places and how I
have overcome displacement. Reaching for a deeper understanding of self
directly correlates to the construction of my identity. As I pose for the selfie
with my grandmother, I intend to take with me a memento and share it on
Facebook. As I paint our self-portrait, I further celebrate, process, and savor
that moment. In my selfie portrait with
my son we playfully pose in our winter attire, celebrating a sunny cold day to
share with family back in Puerto
Rico. In
another selfie, I pose with my parka or with the exotic flower of the
“Flamboyan” or Royal Poinciana tree. It may not be as obvious for my viewer to
determine where I am, either here or there, but my desire is to allow the
viewer to contemplate on who I am, what I value, and how I identify. Every
portrait in this series evaluates, reevaluates, examines, and reexamines my
personal experience.
Robertson,
Jean & Craig McDaniel. Themes of
Contemporary Art Visual Art after 1980. Oxford University Press. Pages 50&51, 80, 178 . 2010.
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