Final Project Artist Statement by student Daniela Nunez

I created these images because I, like Sandra Cisneros, Luz Calvo, and Alma Lopez wanted images that represent the “real” Latina. The one major image Latinas have growing up is the Virgen de Guadalupe. While she is a loved role model, she represents an extreme, something that seems unrealistic for many girls and women to strive for.

The first image is of my mom and nana. I wanted to depict them because they are the strongest women I know. They are my role models, and if I could do half as much in my lifetime as they have, I will be well off. This photograph is very simple, because they live very simply.

The second image is of my roommate Maria. She is one of my role models as well. She moved here from Ecuador when she was in elementary school. She is draping the Ecuadorian flag to represent her home country, and has a San Francisco hat for her second home.

While googling some of Alma Lopez’s pieces, I came across this picture of Mary Magdalene and the Virgin of Guadalupe kissing which sparked my interest. This piece is by Alex Donis, a Guatemalan queer artist from Los Angeles.

While Donis grew up Catholic, he always resented the Church’s homophobic tendencies. His lived experiences inspired him to create a space to manifest what usually gets seen as forbidden or ‘dangerous’ desires. It is through his art that he succeeds in creating these spaces that would otherwise get displaced and ignored by the public sphere.

Like Alma Lopez, Donis’ piece, Mary Magdalene and The Virgin of Guadalupe from his My Cathedral collection, uses alternative modes of cultural production to create a space for queer desire and sexuality. Like Alma, Donis also uses symbols, in this case two biblical women who would normally be seen as opposites; one representing virginity and purity, while the other symbolizes sexual impurity.  By using these clashing symbols, Donis challenges the taboo of sexuality as presented by the Church and hopes to invoke in all a desire to dig deep into one’s own sexuality and desire.

Overall, Donis and other artists that we have learned about in class search to break paradigms that are hierarchical and repressive through different art forms. 

–Sandy Garcia