I am an interdisciplinary artist originally from Cuba, offering a unique perspective on migration and the traumatic effects of political and cultural displacement on the female body.
With a background in Art History and Fashion Design, I utilize performance, video, installations, drawings, and costume design to delve into themes of identity and belonging. As a Cuban immigrant, I created the alter ego Cuquita La Muñeca Cubana to establish a cultural home within the U.S. art scene, where I often feel excluded or underrepresented.
Inspired by cuquitas cubanas—paper doll cutouts from Cuban magazines during my childhood—Cuquita serves as a means to navigate the liminal space between belonging and non-belonging. Through her, I satirize the misogynistic and racist stereotypes that affect Latinas in the U.S. while addressing issues related to feminist marginalization. Having endured Cuba's economic depression known as the 'Special Period,' I experienced trauma but found refuge within myself, recognizing my body as a space for survival.
My work is intensely autobiographical, sharing experiences of vulnerability, displacement, and otherness while critiquing the erasure of Latina migrant artists in mainstream art systems.
My background in fashion design allows me to create elaborate costumes for Cuquita, transforming her physical presence and challenging assumptions about race, origin, and identity. I immerse myself in Cuquita using collage techniques, enabling a liberating exploration of self and otherness.
Through Cuquita La Muñeca Cubana, I have discovered visibility and acceptance. My art confronts cultural stereotypes and explores the transformative power of survival and identity.