Artist Statement

“Dios me ha bendecido grandemente desde el vientre de mi madre.” // “God has blessed me abundantly since I was in the womb of my mother.” - Maria Alcira Lorenzana Real.

This is one of my favorite quotes from my grandmother. “Mama Alcira'' was my nickname for her and “Angelito” was her nickname for me. My grandma recently passed in September 2023, but throughout the 4 years of her Dementia journey I made it a mission to learn more about her and the women in our family.

I created the cyanotype in May, but ironically photographed myself & the cyanotype the day before she died. This project is dedicated to my Mama Alcira and her teachings, that were passed on from generations and beyond. My body of work is a respect and ode to them, and how although they are no longer physically present, they still live in our timeline everyday. 

For “Mama Alcira” I decided to print the cyanotype on a giant piece of cotton bed cloth, cut down into pieces of 20 x 24 inches. I created the cyanotype to be presented as my altar. Throughout my life, religion was one of the most important factors in our family. Growing up, Catholicism was taught to me with the intention of love and morals- and of course we were never left in the dark of its negative past and reality. As I got older I’ve come to understand that there’s a beauty in belief and being one with the universe, regardless of a specific religious title. I’m thankful that my family never utilized our spirit for mal intent, but only to give us faith, healing, and hope. Religion became a difficult topic for me to confront at many points, but while figuring out where my beliefs lie, I personally made the decision to continue practicing Catholicism through my OWN spiritual and universal practices. In my presentation, I decided to set up a replica of what the altar in my Studio looks like. Mama Alcira, taught us to always pray specifically to our “Angelitos” and keep photos of our loved ones on the altar. I printed photos of her & my great grandmothers on both sides of my parents. I printed them as positives, to emphasize my perspective of our ancestors always being around us as celestial bodies and energy. I added my collection of crystals, self reflection cards, meditation sound bells, and lavender. My older sister taught me that the altar is supposed to carry the senses. To top it off, I also added Agua Florida, which my great grandmother Virginia would use as protection before she left the house. Everything on the altar was with intention to honor each practice and lesion taught from my sister, to our mother, to our grandmother, from her mother. To me, this is how I keep them alive through my own spirit. While I was shooting, a branch even fell in the middle of the altar. It was almost like a way of Mama Alcira telling me she was leaving, but to keep going. Her spirit lives through me, day by day.