Artist Statement

Using plant life as a metaphor, my work examines the tension between identity, environment, and the cycles of life and death. I am particularly drawn to epiphytes, such as orchids, which are often perceived as delicate or dependent. Yet, in the right conditions, they are entirely self-sustaining. They grow other structures not out of weakness, but through natural adaptation. When removed from their native environments, these plants are frequently misunderstood and reduced to mere aesthetic objects that are difficult to care for, not because they are fragile, but because they are displaced from the ecosystems where they thrive. This sense of displacement mirrors my own experience of growing up in New England as a Colombian. Navigating between these two cultural environments has created a continual feeling of not fully belonging to either. Through my practice, I explore a personal connection to both the landscapes of New England and the tropical plants of Colombia, as well as the broader implications of human interference with nature.

I draw inspiration directly from the natural world, photographing plants native to New England and the tropics of Colombia. I, then, translate these observations through painting, intaglio printmaking, and ceramics. By zooming in, exaggerating form and color, I work to transform these botanical details into symbols of cultural and emotional orientation. These natural elements embody the duality between the familiar and the displaced, the distant and the intimate. Throughout my work, my practice reflects the ongoing negotiations between self-sufficiency and dependence, and between adaptation and authenticity. I question whether growth comes from reshaping oneself to fit a given environment or from seeking the conditions that allow one’s most natural state to flourish. Ultimately, my work seeks to understand how identity forms across multiple places and how belonging itself is not fixed but continually evolving.