In 2017, I had the privilege of working with two very talented visual artists, Keka Marzagao and Viviane Aquino. Here’s a bit more about this very special project, which you can still check out until January 31st, 2018, at the Plaxall Gallery in Long Island City.

“Masks of the Quotidian examines issues of identity and representation of Brazilian women living in New York City’s largest borough: Queens.

Inspired by interviews with five local Brazilian women, Camila Santos’  printed monologues explore the “masks” these women wear in order to integrate into American society. These texts challenge the troubling and simplistic portrayal of Brazilian women in American society and media in general. Viviane Aquino’s wearable sculptures are a response to the themes and imagery present in each story. She has transformed everyday objects and materials into masks incorporating iconic symbols that straddle Brazilian and American cultures. Using the monologues and masks as a starting point, Keka Marzagão’s photographs explore the complex identities of Brazilian women, both as immigrants and as females. By taking the photographs out of the wall and into space through the use of hanging transparencies, Marzagão transforms the gallery into a multilayered installation evoking the plurality of the women’s experiences.
 

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Collectively, these works deal with Brazilian women’s subjectivities while confronting the current universal challenge of misrepresentation and erasure of identities.”