I will be exhibiting my piece “Tan Bella con Tanta Soledad” at the “Body Beautiful” group show at The Untitled Space. Opening night is this Thursday, November 21st, from 6-9pm. Come through to see some amazing art!

Curatorial Statement:

“Since the emergence of social media and online activism, the body positive movement has become increasingly relevant to the contemporary dialogue of diversity and inclusion. With the emergence of body activists of the last decade addressing the negative repercussions of fat shaming, including depression, eating disorders and body dysmorphia, we have seen a dramatic shift in consciousness with fatphobia slowly going by the wayside, along with the unhealthy societal demands for bodily perfection. Body activists have emphasized in particular fat shaming as a sickness in our cultural fabric. We now live in an era where body acceptance has finally become not only an important subject, but is taken seriously as central to the human experience. This dialogue has changed the lives of many women (and men) with marginalized bodies who didn’t fit into society’s definition of beauty or feel comfortable in their own skin. Ideals of feminine beauty in particular have historically been reserved for a select few who were blessed with privileged physiques. This beauty standard has evolved over the years from perfect hour-glass silhouettes achieved with corsets to the thin athletic figures and supermodels that dominated the 80s, waifs of the 90s and to yoga perfection of the 2000s. The “beautiful” people existed on their own pedestal, while the rest of humanity was overlooked.

With beauty standards continuously transforming, what was once previously not accepted as “beautiful” has expanded into the current “body positive” narrative. But what does “body positive” really mean? Is it merely an emphasis on “fat acceptance” or is it truly as inclusive as the word suggest and the movement intends? The BODY BEAUTIFUL exhibition addresses this shift in our cultural experience, engaging viewers with artworks by a wide array of artists of all ages and genders, who address what the “Body Positive” movement means to them in 2019. As a curator I felt it was important to include works by artists of all genders and generations, as well as represent all body types in this narrative. To me “Body Positive” should be inclusive of all shapes and sizes, skin colors, perfections and imperfections – including “skinny” bodies, plus size figures, pregnant bodies, bodies with stretch marks, scarring, winkles, aging – and yes, beautiful bodies size 0 to size XXXXL.