Libre 24” x 24” Oil on Canvas June 2013, Original Sold | Print Available

This artwork was created for ArtSí, Charlotte’s Latino arts community initiative. It was for the organization’s 10-year anniversary, Con A de Arte (A is for art) event hosted by the Mint Museum in uptown Charlotte. As a participating artist, I was charged with the task of creating an artistic response to the Museum’s exhibition, Sociales: Débora Arango Arrives Today. It is important to consider that Débora Arango, is considered a pioneering artist in her country, Colombia. She is credited with popularizing contemporary, expressionistic painting. Arango’s themes revolved around social justice and political spectra. Her imagery was allegorical; she depicted government as animals and men as monstrous distortions. My painting, Libre, builds on these ideas. A female is shown as a victim, silenced by a wolf and a government official. The butterflies represent Arango’s artwork and the idea that making a statement through art can be a catalyst for change. Years after she created them, her paintings still depict the dark side of society. Her work still resonates as it travels to new audiences, free like a butterfly.