The works by Diana Margarita Garcia on display here dates from 2012 to 2015 and depict the underlying theme of this exhibition as the artist’s search for identity through memory within a diasporic environment. The works blend photorealism and surrealism, which engage the viewer by questioning what is real, imagined or archetypal.

The drawings address familial heritage, personal history and time.  Diana’s use of charcoal and graphite might be viewed as a commentary on evanescent nature of exploring and capturing fleeting memories.

The artist’s use of family photographs is integral to her practice.  In the drawings she attempts to recreate the events based on recollections captured in the photos. In the words of the artist: “I find a photo of my parents when they are young, before I was born.  I don’t remember the youth of their skin, but I remember their eyes.”  In Camera Lucida, the French philosopher and semiotician, Roland Barthes describes this strong reaction to a photograph as punctum, which for Barthes referenced an important relation-forming detail.

Diana is an illustrator, painter and performer.  During Art Basel 2011, Diana performed Is this a Staind Song or a Mexican Grave Dance.  She performed for eleven straight hours at the Art Seen building in Wynwood.  She was recently awarded a Graduate Scholarship by the Women in the Visual Arts, Boca Raton.  Diana was born in Mexico and raised by her Cuban mother.  Currently, she is an MFA student at Florida International University and lives in Miami, Florida.

This exhibition was curated by Colette Alhabahbeh-Mello and Meg Kaplan-Noach, both of whom are MFA Visual Arts: Curatorial Practice students at Florida International University.