De Aquí, De Allá

My cultural identity is a driving force in my art practice. I am Puerto Rican, Panamanian, and Ukrainian. These cultures create the foundation for my work. Being a member of a diaspora can feel isolating at times. Never fully belonging to one place or the other. Suddenly the value of memories and keepsakes increases. Things that were once seen as everyday ordinary objects now carry a nostalgic weight. I attempt to capture this feeling to create tangible connections to my culture and home. Hand-building and sewing enforces a level of intention and thoughtfulness in my practice which helps provide a palpable sense of place to each work. Through a media fluid practice I recreate and imbue objects with memory and care, transporting ordinary moments of being into a place far from home.

In a diaspora often the only thing you can take from your home are memories. Anything too big to fit in a suitcase is left behind forever. Old Polaroids like these are some of the last reminders of a home now long gone. Images of my family’s former home in Puerto Rico are pressed into sheets of porcelain so thin you can see the light through them. Several of the photos are intentionally torn and scattered to highlight the fragility of even these tokens of memory. (2026)