Vaivén (Sway) Series

Artist Statement

My work portrays women of colour in uplifting ways, celebrates the mestizaje (racial and cultural mixture) of my Latin roots and explores a feminine aesthetic through the use of fabric and fibres both as medium and as imagery.

My latest series of paintings, called Vaivén (Sway), depicts Latin women in Caribbean-inspired settings, and with hammocks. Being a Puerto Rican artist, hammocks are very symbolic objects for me. On a personal level, they represent comfort, protection and a link to my childhood because they are where I listened to my family’s stories, where I was taught how to read and where I played. On another level, hammocks represent for me a connection to our aboriginal ancestry because they are one of the few artifacts inherited from our indigenous Taíno culture that is still in use in modern Puerto Rico.

Textiles are a constant in my artistic production. I explore a feminine artistic language through the use of fabric and fibres, as traditionally, women’s creativity has found a means of expression through clothing and crafts. I believe that the dual fragility and strength of textiles adequately mirrors women’s physical vulnerability and their amazing inner strength.

Taira Liceaga
09-2003