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As a Cuban-American growing up in Miami, Quinceanera portraits of my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother adorned my living room. Each of my sister's Quinceaneras were memorialized with photo albums. When I was fifteen, I denied the opportunity of a Quinceanera photoshoot. I feared the process would be a series of oppressive decisions made on my behalf. The task of being a Quinceanera embodied cultural and gender expectations that I felt misrepresented me and I felt conflicted as I tried to personify both Cuban and American notions of femininity.
Eight years later, I am replacing my missing photoshoot by emulating my family’s Quinceanera photos. Using self-portraiture to document a series of performances, I hope to create a dialogue of appreciation towards the aesthetics of this tradition while evaluating its function.
I still struggle to find the balance between my teenage self, who wanted to challenge stereotypes and my current self, who is beginning to value the conservation of culture and tradition.
The Corcoran NEXT 2019