BODEGA: Praxis, Imagery, concept
These cramped corner stores are ubiquitous in cities like New York and Philadelphia. They seem to exist on every corner and serve a blend of languages and culture along with your breakfast sandwich. Bodegas are colorful accents in urban landscapes that capture fleeting moments of attention with their peculiar aesthetics and vow of convenience. In many areas, they act as a confluence of the city where different neighborhoods, socioeconomic classes, beliefs and cultures meet. These qualities are not specific to bodegas, but their confluence evokes an image of authentic city life that artists and designers try to capture through products, photos, and fiction. In this thesis, I consider the bodega beyond its traditional function and treat it as a vibrant assemblage of things that shapes the neighborhood while being created by it.
Rememberings: Forgiving time
Rememberings: Forgiving Time is an audio/visual exploration of the invisible borders that mark the Dominican diaspora. With over ten years of documentation of my travels between the US and the Dominican Republic, this series acts as a self-portrait in flux capturing the island and the individual as they change over time.