Artist Statement

Liminal Majesty: In the Middle of Becoming

 

"Majestic" is a new series of paintings exploring the Quinceañera, a traditional rite of passage in Latin American cultures that marks a young woman’s 15th birthday. While the term refers to both the celebration and the celebrant, the "Quince" is far more than a social event; it is a significant threshold symbolizing the transition from childhood into womanhood.

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In this series, I ground the experience of the Quinceañera in the ancient philosophy of Nepantla. Originating from 16th-century Nahua thought to describe being "in the middle of things," Nepantla captures the precise state of the fifteen-year-old girl: she is suspended in the liminal space between child and adult. Later redefined by Gloria Anzaldúa as being "torn between ways," this concept also illuminates the internal crossroads of the modern Quinceañera.

Drawing from Third-Wave Feminist thought, my paintings explore this transition as a site of individual agency and subversion. I examine the awkward tension between traditional parental expectations of "feminine responsibility" and the young woman's own intersectionality—where her private fantasies of adulthood meet the public performance of the ritual. By centering the subject’s own perspective, the series celebrates the reclamation of "girlhood" aesthetics (the gowns, the crowns, the glamour) not as symbols of passivity, but as tools of self-definition and personal power.

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Project Status: This series is currently in development and will comprise approximately 10 to 20 original paintings. We are actively seeking partnerships with cultural centers and museums in both Mexico and the United States for the Majestic Art Exhibit, projected for 2027–2029.

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