The installation grew out of three performances in October 2011 at Aljaira Gallery, A Center For Contemporary Art in Newark NJ. All of the objects were part of the three performances. The text on the wall came from some of the audience and the writing I did in preparation for the performance. The text also grew out of the images in preparation for the performance.

View of wall, mixed media

View of wall, mixed media

View of floor, mixed media

View of floor, mixed media

View of floor. On the floor are plastic envelopes that contain drawings, doodles, objects and images. On the left and right monitors are playing the performances continuously.

Every photo on the wall was a mannequin displayed in a Caribbean resort. I wrote a series of love poems to each in both Spanish and English. The intention was to let the text sound like a telenovela (soap opera) with melodramatic, baroque intonations of how much I love each one of them. The story is one of wanting to assimilate into an americano (US citizen).

This installation started in 1988 with drawings of the slave galley in Senegal. A colleague visited the fortress and explained the details to me. In that moment, I felt the presence of Felipe, my grandfather. I began to paint Saint Lazarus in my work from that moment on to commemorate the moment. Eight years later, on the anniversary of Lazarus (December 17) I placed all of the images in the floor and lit candles for the day.