Quests for personal, spiritual and political liberation
inform the content of my work. Exploring alternative surfaces,
patterns and fabrics as political signifiers, I paint
the clandestine histories of marginalized communities.
Each figure—whether a freedom fighter, a spiritual
deity, or my mom—is disenfranchised and battles
to rise above. I portray them as the warriors and sacred
beings that they are. My palette often references the
pantheon of Yoruba deities prevalent throughout the African
Diaspora, where each is associated with a force of nature
and its corresponding color. For example, Yemaya is the
blue ocean and Shango is red fire. I turn to my own family’s
spiritual and cultural ancestry for aesthetic principles
that compliment the socio-political content of my work.
My use of saco or burlap references the deity of poverty,
illness and humility Babalu Aye. Combined with earth tones,
burlap evokes dry lands as a commentary on the declining
agricultural production and the diminishing self-sufficiency
of Puerto Rico. I examine the increased industrialization
and militarization of these lands since the US occupation
of 1898. Within my recent Bieké project, these
materials reference contaminated lands and the recent
US Navy decision to burn thousands of acres to recover
bombs which they left scattered on Vieques island. The
use of camouflage and chain link fencing in this series
are not symbols of the US armed forces but a tribute to
Ogun, the Yoruba warrior deity of justice. In the spirit
of Ogun these works honor the victory of viequenses in
bringing US bombing maneuvers in their homeland to a halt.
I often incorporate calligraphy to enhance the narrative
aspect of my portraits. It is a craft I have kept up since
first learning it from my Chinese 8th grade homeroom teacher
in Brooklyn. With it I pay tribute to 20th century Puerto
Rican artists like Lorenzo Homar and Rafael Tufiño
whose calligraphy and printmaking documented the socio-political
changes of their homeland. Their printmaking-as-social-commentary
tradition found inspiration in the art of the Mexican
Revolution. Channeling various global traditions in art
and resistance, I reclaim stories that have been suppressed
to challenge injustice.
My latest work pushes beyond painting and installation,
incorporating digital art and video. Recent projects also
take on more personal themes. Inspired by the natural
home birth of my son, Linea Negra investigates birthing
as a sacred state and seeks to reclaim the experience
from a male-driven, over-medicalized industry. The project
title is taken from the name given to the dark line that
appears down women’s bellies during pregnancy. Luz
(Light) is a project dedicated to my brother who recently
lost his battle with cancer. Channeling my family’s
espiritismo tradition, I trace the journey of my brother’s
spirit through its incarnate existence on earth and as
a spirit traveling beyond. I also touch upon the brief
overlap of his last year here with my son’s first
year. Luz considers that good spirits come from light
and return to it once our mission is complete. It also
highlights the Yoruba concept of orí, the sacred
orisha that resides within each of our heads, guiding
a unique, divine mission during our time on this earth.
I am currently developing a new video that will be part
of this series. It connects my brother’s personal
cancer battle to historic facts regarding contamination,
experimentation and cancer research in Puerto Rico and
beyond. Working with the premise that the personal is
political, I connect my individual journey through loss,
grief and my new role as mother to the greater human struggle
for survival and liberation.
Photo: John James 2005
