by Yali Romagoza
Featured image: Yali Romagoza, Playing with Dolls, 2020
“In my world, my body is my home,” (2012); “Drawing my way out of a corner,” (2017); “Surviving Anxiety,” (2018); “Mistress of Loneliness,” (2019-ongoing); “Do not bury me in Darkness,” (2019-ongoing). Looking at these projects, to name just a few that I have done, one realizes that I have been concerned with the effects of isolation, solitude, and trauma on the individual for a long time. I have lived in isolation for almost ten years since I emigrated from Cuba to the United States in 2011. I have experienced social distancing since most of my family still lives in Cuba. I am used to being alone, so when people ask me, how am I in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic?
With a sigh, I say: I’m fine. Thank you. How are you? I know that most immigrants understand what I mean. And as survivors, this is one more obstacle that we will have to overcome. As for my artistic practice, I have always worked from home, altering my domestic space to turn it into another reality in which I perform for video or photo. I am focusing on my alter ego Cuquita The Cuban Doll and deepening my exploration of her as a character. What I have left is to survive, as I always have.
Yali Romagoza is a Cuban-born multidisciplinary artist currently based in Queens, NY. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Fashion, Body, and Garment from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2016) and a BA in Art History from the University of Havana, Cuba. Her works have been included in the Gothenburg Biennial; Havana Biennial; Bétonsalon, Paris; Liverpool Biennial; Art and Social Activism Festival, NY; The Immigrant Artist Biennial, NY. Romagoza has performed at Links Hall Theater, Chicago; White Box, NY; Teatro LATEA, NY; Art in Odd Places, NY; Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, NC; Grace Exhibition Space, NY; NY Latin American Art Triennial, NY. She has been granted awards and residencies, including Cátedra Arte de Conducta by Tania Bruguera, La Habana, Bétonsalon Centred’ art et de recherché, Paris; NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, NY; Creative Capital NYC Taller, NY.
