Self Portrait Azua
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Inspired by “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Díaz, the works within Self-portrait Azua take their name from a particular region in the Dominican Republic vividly described in the novel as being hell on earth. Although never having visited Azua, the artist, also of Dominican descent, imagines his latest heroic self-portraits as living within this state of impeding doom. These warriors, however, are distressed or defeated—never reaching true fulfillment of heroic status. The post-apocalyptic warriors encompass conflicting pop-cultural elements reflective of the artist’s background while having strong, religious overtones—reconfiguring religious iconography that the artist, even as a child, distrusted for its racial exclusion.
The portraits are quiet yet uncomfortable, bold yet ineffective – posing the question, “What is a hero when he has no one to save?””
Inspired by “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Díaz, the works within Self-portrait Azua take their name from a particular region in the Dominican Republic vividly described in the novel as being hell on earth. Although never having visited Azua, the artist, also of Dominican descent, imagines his latest heroic self-portraits as living within this state of impeding doom. These warriors, however, are distressed or defeated—never reaching true fulfillment of heroic status. The post-apocalyptic warriors encompass conflicting pop-cultural elements reflective of the artist’s background while having strong, religious overtones—reconfiguring religious iconography that the artist, even as a child, distrusted for its racial exclusion.
The portraits are quiet yet uncomfortable, bold yet ineffective – posing the question, “What is a hero when he has no one to save?””