ES LO QUE TENEMOS, 2021

Plaster, un-fired clay, found pallets, cinder blocks, acrylic. 3.5’ x 7.5’ x 3’ 

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Es Lo Que Tenemos translates to “It is what we have,” a phrase part reflecting the cultural resilience of the Dominican Republic’s people and US migrants. Autobiographical, the work is inspired by the artist’s familial experiences. Through the act of carving the landscape and homes, the work hopes to honor the spirit within the processes of repair and maintenance often required of colonized, diasporic peoples. “What we have” is integral to dignity and survival. Though hurricane rains and bleaching sun tear at the colors of concrete, new coats of paint represent a resistance not only to ecological forces but the colonial storm of political and economic disenfranchisement relentless within the Caribbean waters.