Interdisciplinary Artist
San Jose, CA
My America in Baroque, 2020
As the multitudes of people across the country rallied in support of BLM, social justice, and morale. The waves of solidarity surged into downtown San Jose, CA. On May 29th, 2020, protestors banded together in an exhibition of civil unrest; punctuated with vehicles and dumpsters charring in flames, broken glass disseminated across sidewalks, and San Jose Police officers in combat formation established containment lines.
Broadcast in real time, and watching the coverage, an overwhelming sense of obligation prompted a show of solidarity, as a member of the Xicano/a community and photographer. To document the extraordinary movement of the masses in San Jose, CA. As someone who has experienced racial profiling and negative typecasting for being Mexican, the timing was urgent.
In collaboration with Oakland-based Black and Brown advocate Gaby Ponce, a portrait series was created. The application of a one-light setup in a garage to produce dramatic imagery was used to emphasize the splitting contrast between “light” and “dark” in the world we know. The principalities that underpinned the photo documentation. This was the making of My America in Baroque.
Cladded in a black and white American flag, she embodied a sense of America that was her own: fortified, dignified, peaceful, diligent, and visionary. Attributes vital in times of injustice.