"Who Do You Say You Are?" Exhibition
Come and join me and a group of talented artist at the Mount Vernon Hotel & Museum next Thurday April 18th at 6 pm for a lovely Opening! Artists will share with you the stories behind their portraits and why they do art.
Here is the story behind my self-portrait "Eliana Perez, July 2018"
“Eliana Perez, July 2018”
Ink and charcoal on Denril
17 x 14 in
2018
“Eliana Pérez, July 2018” is a self-portrait that was created at a mature stage in my life as an immigrant. It visualizes my thoughts towards being an immigrant for the past five years. I see it like an update of my social media profile picture. The moment I moved to the United States was the moment I started doubting my racial identity, and the questions increased as time went by. Being born in Mexico, but raised in the Dominican Republic, is one thing; but moving to the United States where I am most of the time not recognized as Mexican/Dominican because of my appearance is another thing that I never realized could happen. It just never passed through my mind. This new experience of others’ perspectives on my identity is the reason why I started to appreciate things in a different way and chose unconventional materials to work with, materials that express this idea of being different but beautifully interacting with each other. They offer a portrait of a grotesque beauty that I specifically seek out in my works in order to give a mysterious aura to them. It enhances the tangled knowledge others have about my identity, but also reinforces the beautiful transitions that truly made me and are part of who I am.