I work in collage, printmaking, and other media in order to celebrate the aesthetics of Afro Caribbean diasporic communities and create empathy across people of color. I draw from my own experiences growing up as a Dominican-American child in Harlem, where I found joy in the coming together of black and brown people at block parties.

The work is process-oriented, making use of everyday items that are transformed into complex, layered compositions. I reuse objects that are discarded or ill-regarded, such as linoleum tile and cardboard, and elevate them. Inspired by David Hammons, I find meaning through the usage of shapes and conform my materials to geometric patterns. We are shaped by our environment and I use the materiality of the Caribbean and urban landscapes to build the works. This inventiveness was also part of my childhood and I bring these domestic and community elements into artworks like artist Pepón Osorio. The ‘skin’ of the work is formed by elements from the environment and its effects on us–burnt buildings, broken glass, and the ensuing gentrification and erasure. Skin is visibly responsive to the environment, whether it tans or chaps. This outermost, callous layer forms an armor that protects what is inside, which cannot be erased.

The double consciousness that is part of this black experience is embodied in the work by combining Western practices and traditions with materials, narratives, and figures from the diaspora. One of the lingering and most insidious effects of colonialism is self-doubt and a devaluing of self. My work comes from the truth to show people of all shades of black, from all corners of the world, their beauty by reflecting back their own images and environments. I create my work out of the everyday to focus on the positive and spiritual aspects of my community.