In this portrait, an imaginary Dominican woman stands strong, confident, and unclothed even as a series of machetes penetrate the painted surface around her. Is she facing an attack… or is it she who wields and controls such culturally significant weapons? The mask on the ground is of Lechón, the animal-like character who represents the artist’s rural province at the annual carnival in the Dominican Republic. This embellished, three-dimensional painting is both literally and figuratively vibrant, awakening sensory responses in us as viewers as well as referencing historical Indigenous and Caribbean cultural influences that underpin the provocation and celebration inherent to this work.

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