“Báez’s new works embody a provocative investigation on decorative elements, textiles, hair designs, and body ornaments that explore methods of resistance in black communities within the United States and the Caribbean. Her exceptional paintings show a profound appreciation of diasporic histories, as well as new contemporary approaches towards painting,” said María Elena Ortiz, the exhibition’s curator and an assistant curator at PAMM.
The works vary from traditional canvasses to collage installations and large-scale sculptural pieces. Despite the variety of pieces, each work is touched by Báez's signature style, a blend of Afro-Caribbean colors that seem to claim a piece of the visual landscape while in
Her figurative canvasses often
Yet, while some are ostensibly helpless in her depictions, Báez clearly notes that other women use the same instruments as sources of power. Marked by vibrant headdresses, and brimming sartorial fetches, these women represent the other side of colonialism. Women are so imbued with an inner strength and confidence, the harshness of the immediate circumstances they inhabit bare no effect on their stalwart constitutions.
In all cases, Báez explores the relationship between representation and abstraction. No matter how figurative, each canvas notes a hint of abstraction; whether a colorful print that makes its way from fabric to flesh — an obvious play on race — or a backdrop
Don't be distracted by the colorful prints, there's an element of decay throughout her work. It's that same element that ties the pieces to the past and to a historical reality that while buried in memory, strongly resonates with everyday life. That precise interplay is what lies at the heart of Bloodlines, an endless tug of war between past and present played out in a tropical context.
"Bloodlines"
On view at PAMM through Sunday, February 28, 2016. For more information regarding schedule and hours visit pamm.org.