“To be born a woman is to be born into a limited and preassigned space,” as Berger said. Patriarchal society and the Catholic religion have perpetuated female icons and stereotypes that I have long wished to break and reinterpret.

In my project Artificialia I, I question the visual legacy inherited from the Renaissance and Baroque periods through images where—quoting Siri Hustvedt in her book A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women—”hearts don’t pump, blood doesn’t flow, and biological markers are mere representations.”

The women who appear in my photographs are mothers, friends, lovers; Spanish or foreign; tall, short, slender, curvy, blonde or brunette; but in my hands, they become concepts, ideas, and messages that ironically or reflectively advocate for the significance of visual imagery.