Is there a reason you chose to use an installation instead of a canvas? Three dimensional groupings can activate a space and have an impact in storytelling. Functional or decorative, objects are ideas materialized. From conceptual and archaeological perspectives, objects tell stories about a material’s availability, environment, design, cultural trends, politics, folklore and more. My installation is like an altar for everything that is sacred to me. I was inspired by the eclectic aesthetics and mix of religious icons found in Puerto Rican “Botánicas”. These are popular spiritual bazaars that sell magical remedies, where people get advice or consult their fortune through different ways of divination. I use objects as symbols and through kitsch, whimsy and nostalgia I explore my topics of interest: the idea of home, mixed heritage, identity, love, time, memories of youth in Puerto Rico, raising my children in the diaspora, away from the collectivist family system of the island, superstition, faith, the island’s status and more.

How has your culture affected your perspective on the world? I believe everything is interconnected. And the mix, I find beauty in the mix. I cannot understand the racial gate keeping of groups in the US and in some Latin American countries, and how to this day, being in a biracial couple is still seen as an act of subversion or as a political statement. Racism exists in my island country; colorism is a problem. But one of the first things they teach us in primary school is that we are at least triracial. Even though we have a long way to go to, knowing this fact makes a huge difference as to our conversations about race. “Y tu abuela aonde está?” Which translates to “where is your grandmother?” or to “show me” or “can I see your grandmother” is a very popular saying or idiom, where we confront those that are in denial about our mix, about our brown and black heritage.

What is the importance of all the eyes in your piece (drawn and evil eyes)? The eyes have multiple meanings, some spiritual, some political. These are an invitation to look closely, to see the connection between the natural, the material world and the beyond. The evil eye and amulets are meant to keep away negative forces. Some of us use them close to doors and windows in our homes, we hang them in our cars or around our necks. In this installation, eyes appear multiple times as in ritualistic prayer, asking for protection for my loved ones and my country, in a territory/ colony status, with an economy controlled by the US that does not favor Puerto Ricans. In this context, the eyes call for awareness of the situation, an invitation to the viewer to learn and question their own history in relation to the exploitation of other countries. Sadly, Americans are being denied learning their own history through censorship.

In your installation, you have religious cards placed in a circle. Was there a reason for each card’s placement? These are Tarot cards; they are not organized in the traditional Tarot reading ways. I picked the ones that are significant to me, that represent ideas that I identify with. Instead of the popular Victorian illustrations, these cards have Native American paintings, again, a nod to a universal connection between indigenous cultures, the beyond, ideas of animism and the earth. These were a gift from my aunt, Sandra, after whom I was named and who remains the most spiritually eclectic in my family.

How has colonialism affected your *beliefs /and what is something you wish people understood more about Caribbean culture? Magical thinking plays an important role in the imaginary of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Indigenous, African and European cultures converged here by force during the period of the colonization of the Americas. The result was a complex fusion of races, customs and beliefs. While those in power forced the groups they colonized and enslaved to convert to Christianity, some of these resisted. In order to survive, they secretly fused their myths of creation and deities, with the figures of Christian mythology. This is known as religious syncretism. I find this tragic and at the same time beautiful for the contrasts and duality that resulted due to the re-adaptation of their stories, specially in the Yoruba Caribbean religions, which are rich in altars, icons and rituals and have often inspired my body of works. The US took hold of the Puerto Rico after winning the Spanish American War in 1898, and the island has been under US control for 126 years. This brought a strong Protestant influence that competes with the Catholic, imposed by Spain in the 15th century. In modern day Puerto Rico, people can practice one or many religions and there is a growing following of Eastern/Asian philosophies too. My father, a doctor interested in physics and genetics, instilled in me a curiosity for abstract concepts like consciousness, memory and time. The women on my mother’s side instilled in me creativity and a curiosity for the beyond. My grandmother was Rosicrucian, I grew up watching them consult the Tarot, the Runes and other cards, talking about Kardec Jung, astrology, Coptics and Kabbalah. I consulted “Santeras” to have my future read through cowry shells and often heard people from the rural areas talk about “ brujo/sobos” or massages with native plants that could heal. I consider my country hybrid and myself hybrid. Espiritismo and animismo, belief in reincarnation, etc are just a few of the many concepts that I explore. Labels fall short, since I do not follow one organized religion. I have customized beliefs based on theological and anthropological interests, influenced by a varied, philosophical upbringing at home and by the progressive arts and cultural environment in the island. There are groups in Puerto Rico that are reclaiming and celebrating forgotten (erased) arts and traditions like those of our Taino Indigenous and our west and north African heritage. My way of looking at theology is similar to the mix of the Caribbean.

How has living in the South affected your perspective of being Latino? Is there a reason you chose to use an installation instead of a canvas? Three dimensional groupings can activate a space and have an impact in storytelling. Functional or decorative, objects are ideas materialized. From conceptual and archaeological perspectives, objects tell stories about a material’s availability, environment, design, cultural trends, politics, folklore and more. My installation is like an altar for everything that is sacred to me. I was inspired by the eclectic aesthetics and mix of religious icons found in Puerto Rican “Botánicas”. These are popular spiritual bazaars that sell magical remedies, where people get advice or consult their fortune through different ways of divination. I use objects as symbols and through kitsch, whimsy and nostalgia I explore my topics of interest: the idea of home, mixed heritage, identity, love, time, memories of youth in Puerto Rico, raising my children in the diaspora, away from the collectivist family system of the island, superstition, faith, the island’s status and more.