No me pongan en lo Oscuro (Do Not Bury Me in Darkness) is a performance series that challenges art museums, fairs, and publications complicit in the invisibility and erasure of Latina migrant artists from the art world and their ongoing exclusion from positions of power. Romagoza calls upon fellow female artists to join her in embodying Cuquita The Cuban Doll, as they stand silently in defiant stillness. Each performer wears a large fabric sac hanging between their legs, exaggerated and absurd like an oversized phallus, amplifying the critique of patriarchal dominance. At times, they hold signs, delivering potent messages to the audience and demanding visibility, equity, and acknowledgment.
Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk
No me pongan en lo Oscuro (Do Not Bury Me in Darkness) Action #2, 2020
Unannounced performative action at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 30 min, NY
Performers: Paola Martinez Fiterre, Yali Romagoza
Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk
No me pongan en lo Oscuro (Do Not Bury Me in Darkness) Action #3, 2020
Unannounced performative action at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, 30 min, NY
Performers: Annia Bu, Damariz Damken, Yali Romagoza
Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk
No me pongan en lo oscuro (Do not bury me in Darkness) Action #4, 2020
Unannounced performative action at The Guggenheim Museum, New York, 30 min
Performers: Manuelita, Denisse Damken, Yali Romagoza, Kenia Salas.
Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk
No me pongan en lo Oscuro (Do not bury me in Darkness) Action #5, 2020 Unannounced performative action at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), New York, 30 min
Performers: Sandra Cordero, Ana De Orbegoso, Daniela Friedman, Isabel Sof, Yali Romagoza
Photo by Paola Martinez Fiterre
No me pongan en lo Oscuro (Do not bury me in Darkness) Action #6, 2021 Unannounced performative action at MoMA PS1, New York, 30 min
Performers: Salomé Egas, Julia Justo, Anet Melo, Verónica Peña, Gabriela X. Sanchez Frank, Yali Romagoza
Photo by Sarah Bejarano
No me pongan en lo Oscuro (Do not bury me in Darkness) Action #7, 2021 Unannounced performative action at Art Basel Miami, 15 min
Performers: Arantxa Araujo, Gabriela Burdsall, Salomé Egas, Verónica Peña, Legna Rodriguez, Odie Senesh
Photo Walter Wlodarczyk
No me pongan en lo Oscuro (Do not bury me in Darkness) Action #8, 2023,15 min
Performers: Susana Aldanondo, Domenica Garcia, Shizu Homma, Julia Justo, Autumn Newcomb, Sujetka Val Terkes, Lisa Marie Zapata
Video documentation, 5 min
HD, 16:9, MP4, Color, Stereo
Edition of 7/1 AP
Produced as part of the exhibition “The Immigrant Artist Biennial 2023 Launch,” presented in Partnership with PS122 Gallery and International Arrivals, NY, 09.08.23