Mi Cuento
Works by Emilia Cruz

“Mi Cuento” is a collection of work that shares the two sides of my personality, morbid and colorful. I constantly tap into the parts of my mind that I do not know how to convey with words, so the best way for me to tell my story is through my artwork. Unfortunately like a lot of people, I have had to struggle constantly with dark thoughts. I found that hiding them would only make the matter worse, so that is where the girl with the mask came into play. The mask is heavily inspired by the Aztec masks that were sometimes placed on the deceased. The girl who is neither dead nor alive, is stuck in limbo. I continued to create different versions of this character in order to confront my inner turmoil.

While art is an important act of self-expression and self-care, I also make it a priority to shed light on people of color because for too long we have been overlooked, especially women of color who are still not always being appreciated in the way that they should be. I want to be able to see my own friends and family point and say “Hey that’s me up on the wall!” So along with my story, I would like to share the stories of others too.
Exhibition Dates: July 14 through August 4, 2018.