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ARTIST STATEMENT: NEPANTLA, THE SPIRITUAL CENTER FOR WOMEN

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“The work of the mestiza consciousness is to break down the subject-object

duality that keeps her a prisoner and to show in the flesh and through the images

in her work how duality is transcended.”

Gloria Anzaldúa

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In today's lexicon of feminism, there is little conversation about spirituality; many of us view religion as a patriarchal institution of oppression that must be dismantled. Yet, in this polarized world where we are divided and caught in the middle of conflict, we must ask: what will we replace it with? I believe it is vital for artists to create new narratives designed to encourage and empower spiritual healing.

My work exists in the space of Nepantla. In the 16th century, the Nahua people used this word to describe the state of being "in the middle"—caught between a vanishing Indigenous world and a colonial Spanish one. Today, through the lens of Gloria Anzaldúa, Nepantla has evolved into a "torn" liminal space where the mestiza is neither one thing nor the other, but a bridge between many.

The works from "Legends" represent these divided “types.” The masked woman is a shadow-type—a postmodern deconstruction of myself and a meta-reconstruction of a new mythology designed to heal from shame. By placing the Zapatista mask over a woman in lingerie, I protest the shaming of the feminine body and reclaim the "middle ground" between vulnerability and revolution.

Within this space, I introduce four Nepantleras—meta-types who serve as guardians of the threshold:

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• The Seeker: Navigating the "torn" space to find lost fragments of identity.

• The Captain: Directing the spirit through the turbulent waters of the "in-between."

• The Romantic: Finding beauty and connection within the conflict of dual cultures.

• The Liberator: Breaking the chains of shame to transform Nepantla from a site of pain into a site of power.

 

Every element in these paintings serves as a tool for this transition. The lingerie symbolizes both beauty and a fragile protection from disease, while the darkness is not a void, but a fertile time for celebrating, conceiving, and dreaming. The jungle represents a mysterious, predatory world where one must navigate their own power. Snakes act as the ultimate bridge; where European religions see temptation and fall, Indigenous beliefs embrace them as symbols of cosmic transformation—the shedding of old skins to reveal a new self. Domesticated animals, such as the horse and the white rooster, represent "sexual freedom" and "pure internal strength," respectively.

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The masked woman is a mantra that must be repeated to not only tell the story, but to learn the lesson. It is a ritual practice to manifest personal change. "Legends" is a new spiritual story—a map of Nepantla—that uses paint to trace the steps toward personal transformation and well-being.