Ghost Series

A character I often portray in my work is a ghost. It has fluctuated  throughout the years but I find that when I embody the ghost it  has always been a strong visualization for how I feel. I find that when I am the ghost it represents most how I believe myself to be in social and cultural aspects. I am Chicanx and I find myself questioning my identity a lot more at this time in my life. I feel invisible but also misplaced. I am visible yet hidden. Placing the ghost in familiar and uncommon landscapes allows me to break the barrier that I feel for myself and as a placeholder for anyone who feels similarly. I tend to take self portraits but I am just a vessel for others to understand. Others can relate to the feelings of displacement and I am just the visual representation they can come to understand. 

During adolescence a child begins to learn how to express themselves. These moments are formative and have lasting effects into adulthood. This may be represented through clothing, or through hair. Felt Me is a short animation that utilizes significant memories about my hair and the role these moments have had on the formation of my identity. As a young Mexican-American person, I grew up with many traditional familial hair expectations. My experiences surrounding hair may seem familiar, but they have had a lasting impact. In this animation I use a handmade doll as a surrogate to relive these experiences. Dressed as my present self, I use this doll to reconcile and examine memories from the ages of 5, 13, and 23 to understand my identity today.