Sin nombre/Aute retrato/ Con ancestro by Vanezza Cruz

Sin nombre/Aute retrato/ Con ancestro, 2020-2021, Acrylic paint, ink, paint markers, and ballpoint pen on bristol board, 40 x 32 inches

In my ongoing series of psychological self-portraits, I explore the complex tapestry of my identity as a Black Latina. I always have felt and feel my ancestors guiding me throughout my path in life. Despite never meeting my grandparents due to their departure before my birth, their ethereal guidance remains steadfast. These maternal figures serve as invisible pillars, their wisdom and strength transcending time, shaping the contours of my psychological self-portrait. The interplay of color, symbols, and ancestral threads weave together the narrative of my identity— a soaring journey guided by the unseen hands of my female ancestors. For years, I’ve drawn floating female figures as hot air balloons, symbolizing both personal and collective elevation. Embodying transcendence into the vastness of self-discovery, the hot air balloon is a vessel for my emotions, dreams, and aspirations. The color blue, dominant in the painting, serves as a multifaceted symbol. In its representation of the diverse spectrum of Black beauty, blue also takes on a spiritual significance in symbolizing the afterlife. A homage to the eternal essence of my ancestors, this hue becomes a bridge between the earthly and the ethereal, connecting my present reality with the spiritual realm where my ancestors reside.

Vanezza Cruz is an Afro Latina visual artist and designer based in NYC and of Dominican descent. Vanezza’s work centers her experience as a darker-skinned Latina who is challenging the Eurocentric standards of not only beauty but the fine arts world that disempowers the BIPOC community and in particular, black women. Through various mediums such as prints, collages, paintings, illustrations and murals, Vanezza’s art uplifts those who are often unheard and unseen in the mainstream art world.