When
the word "fetish" is spoken, most thoughts are geared to the Leather
& Lace genre of sexual fetish. Fetish is the power given to inanimate
objects or the objectification of body or body parts. It is an idea
that extends far beyond the hidden lives of others. My images speak
in this language whether it is the secretive aspects of an addiction,
the unspoken dialects of sexual fetish, or the immediate icons of
mundane life, through the filters of love and or pain. I find that
the ideas of love and pain often congregate in fetish and are a
vital part of the dialogue.
I
have worked with photography for over ten years and I find it to
be the most complex, enriching medium for my art. The scientific
and magical aspects, the ability to bring out and hide in images
through color and shadow create a mystery that exists in my images.
From when I started working with photography, I have always worked
with portraits or images of the body. I worked with Black and White
Photography until late in my college career and still find it a
necessary part of my dialogue. Now I work mainly in color; as a
Puertorrican artist I find vibrant color to be part of my art.
After an unfortunate accident with my leg I picked up drawing as
a regular habit to engage quick ideas. Since then I have drawn several
series that involve some aspect of feminine icons. My first series
involved the detailing of high-heeled shoes in Surrealist and humanistic
representations. Some of my other series have involved lips, blood,
corsets and cherries. Most of my drawings are done in ink in a very
specific set of hues. They all involve easily recognizable objects,
sometimes innocent or graphically twisted. My new project moves
to the idea of diffusion and infusion of color, light, and smell.
They are small, simple, celebratory drawings of color escaping the
object on to the rest of the world. They are mainly pink, red, and
orange in hue, with green, purple, or blue accents.
My collages started as experiment in self-portraiture. I quickly
began experimenting with larger sizes and erotic ideas. Those earlier
works allowed me the freedom to tackle more controversial subjects
that I was not able to do in other environments. Jindrich Styrsky
was a huge influence on my earlier work. Other artists that I have
influenced me are Florine Stettheimer, Yayoi Kusama, Ana Mendieta,
Katrina Del Mar, Marcel Duchamp, Frida Kahlo, the Surrealists, the
Futurists, and the Dadaists among others.
About five years ago I started using the four by six inch format
and have stayed with it ever since. I use female body parts to speak
of romance, darkness, sexuality, and violence, among other topics.
While I lived in Japan I became interested in using abstractions
of color and texture. I use both textures in the image as well as
the paper it is printed on. I used a rectangular format and concentrated
on sensuality and the couple as my subjects.
With
my art, I want foremost to feed the hunger that resides where nothing
else can touch. I want to create more hunger to feed. I also hope
that I can interest others in art, and engage the viewer in the
ideas that I tackle in my work, which sometimes can be unnerving
or uncomfortable. I want people to see this not just as shock art
but something much more.