"The Expiatory One" is part of a series of large scale drawings and paintings in which I aim to explore the sociological process of transculturation, from my personal perspective as a Cuban immigrant living in Miami. Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz coined the term “transculturation” as the organic, reciprocal interaction between cultures, rather than forced impositions of dominant or mainstream cultures. Thanks to the process of adaptation and incorporation of new cultural languages, I have been able to share my culture and my roots in my surroundings and in my art.
I depict overlapping and semi transparent imagery in my drawings and paintings, of human figures, gestures and landscapes from my current city and the place I grew up. This practice allows me to express the confusion, the doubts and the chaos, but also the assimilation, adaptation and creation of my new interpretation of culture, art and of my reality. I aim for the viewer to find themselves in the work and its ideas, and explore their personal journey of cultural transformation.
