Part of a series of work titled Behind These Mountains (2025). Every piece contains a story connected to the Sierra Occidental Mountain range in between Northern Mexico and the Southwestern U.S. Photos of the deceptively scenic mountains cover each painting in which an audience was invited to peel away in a symbolic performance.
Johana Medina León (2025), is a portrait titled after the story of a trans woman who migrated from El Salvador to the U.S. seeking asylum. Upon entry, she was placed in a detention center with poor living conditions. She was denied critical medical care and died soon after she was released. The tragedy of Johana Medina León takes place in El Paso, Texas, a town that is overshadowed by the mountain range. During the creation of this work, I imagined Johana’s last moments as she was released from the detention center. Did she gaze into the landscape? What if –for a brief moment– the beauty of the mountains provided a sense of comfort.
Award: Women in Art Prize, Shortlist 2025
