Closing reception for ANAHI VELAZQUEZ - PERCEPTIONS

Anahi Velazquez Torres was born on January 24th, 1999 in Austin, Texas. She was raised in Cicero, Illinois, and still resides and works around the Chicagoland area. With the digital camera she received as a child, Anahi began a deeply personal photographic journey. 

_______

 I am interested in what it means to be a woman, or to be “feminine”. Recently, I was extremely moved by Latin American protests against femicide. A Rapist in Your Path and A Day Without Us steered me to think about the experiences I’ve been through as a 21st-century Latin woman. I started a series of self portraits depicting my personal experiences.

 Perceptions explores the impact of modern dating on our perception of ourselves, and our connection with our own bodies. These photographs are a culmination of scenarios that depict feeling controlled, objectified, shamed, malleable, frustrated, and even empowered as a woman. The work was heavily inspired by the personal experiences of my friends and myself. Much of this work is my own effort to process personal trauma.  

 Dating has become extremely complicated. Hookup culture contributes to poor body image, and it complicates one’s perception of control over their own body. Many young people feel that vulnerability makes you weak, and that having a kind heart will only get you “played.” Perceptions encourages openness to vulnerability.

 As a young artist, I am still developing my voice. In Perceptions I use self-portraiture, and merge photography with drawing and printmaking. I incorporate movement and blur into some of the photographs, to symbolize the instability and turmoil of emotional trauma.  

 My piece Reclaim initiated my interest in photographing my own body. There is something beautiful and vulnerable about this image, yet as the photographer I still have full control, and I choose what I want the viewer to see. I’m very inspired by photographers Laura Aguilar and Robert Mapplethorpe, who also explored the human body in their work.  

I want to continue to push myself to be open about my experiences in my work. I have trouble expressing my thoughts vocally, and this work is only the beginning of allowing myself to be vulnerable. The more I progress personally, the more I open up in my work. ___________

Artist Instagram: @dear.anahi