MADRE, 2024

photo printed on premium luster paper, paper mache, coroplast, cardboard, tinsel, fabric

The Virgen de Guadalupe, because of the way it has been imposed, has had to be reappropriated and reconstructed to make it legible to brown bodies; in this case, queer bodies. Much like a drag mother, she both reifies and defies motherhood, guides, blesses, protects, feels like home, is supernatural, is revered, is ornately framed on walls, and gets every knee to bow.

MADRE is dedicated to the mothers of chosen families who support their children like their own, provide a space to safely exist, and express oneself. A selfless blessing that is liberating for those who experience it and can be felt for generations.