Self-portrait (con la arena hasta la cabeza) merges photography and installation in the shape of a family photograph from 1997 of my mom, my sister and me on a beach in Puerto Rico, while I’m being buried in the sand. Below, a row of small castle walls molded from sand, referencing the colonial walls of Old San Juan. Combining child’s play and memory, this piece explores colonialism as a conditioning process, which begins from an early age.

Self-portrait (con la arena hasta la cabeza), 1997/2022
Archival photograph, sand molded castle walls
Dimensions variable
Photo by Stefan Hagen

Self-portrait (con la arena hasta la cabeza), 1997/2022
Archival photograph, sand molded castle walls
Dimensions variable
Photo by Stefan Hagen

Self-portrait (con la arena hasta la cabeza), 1997/2022 (Detail)
Archival photograph
4 x 6 in