The series Group Photos, part of the overarching body of work The Parties, was created from inherited linens given to me by my mother. These napkins served as witnesses to my family’s history, carrying the physical traces of a life lived. By rubbing these linens and arranging them as stand-ins to recreate poses from family photos, I map how an immigrant identity is created by generational memories and navigates a new world using the memories of the old one. These napkins act as vessels for family members, capturing the "language of linen" from my Colombian-Italian, Puerto Rican, and Cuban family gatherings and the traces left on them by the people they depict.
This ghostly map explores how immigrant identities remain anchored by communal strength even when separated from their original geography. By assembling and arranging these shapes, the work occupies a liminal space where domestic objects transform into a portable history. This series visualizes the resilient bonds of the diaspora, capturing how heritage is carried forward, unrestricted by physical borders.