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More Than Entertainment

Carved-Out Print, Acrylic Markers on Paper | 11x14 | $40.00. This piece started as a spin-off of a series of illustrations of a persimmon headed character I did a couple of years ago. Thinking about the many ongoing issues around me, and the imminent presence of ICE, I wanted to make a piece that highlighted the hypocrisy of the persecution of minorities in this country — the hostility and aggression with which immigrants are regarded, yet the resources and products from our countries are not only welcomed, but expected as an inherent commodity. This drove me to look at the perception held towards my culture as a Dominican, and realize how even when the perception is positive, it's not from a place of appreciation, but that of commodification. In the center of the piece is a print depicting a baseball player with a plantain for a head, representing the massive popularity Dominican athletes have earned globally through their performance in baseball, and the popularization of the phrase "Platano Power." Surrounding it are many iconic symbols of Dominican Culture, which anyone who grew up in the Dominican Republic would recognize, amongst which are the sugar cane, which relates back to slavery in the Caribbean, and is still one of the big imports to the USA today.