Verónica Antoinette Pérez (they/them) is a sculptor deeply engaged in the intersection of sculpture, history, and identity. They use community collaboration to address themes of erasure and to foster interdependency. She embeds personal narratives, sharing them with a broader audience via sculpture and storytelling by holding community workshops called braiding circles, where participants engage in intentional conversations about identity while braiding textiles.
Perez employs hair and textiles to explore the profound history of colonization, aiming to illuminate and repair its fracturing effects and bring awareness for systemic change.
The psychological effects of white supremacy inform her exploration into the impacts of colonialism on identity. Perez’s familial history, particularly her father Miguel’s experience with the Puerto Rican diaspora, contributes to a fractured family narrative and distorted sense of identity.
Perez addresses ongoing colonization and historical injustices like forced sterilization and land displacement through her work, shedding light on complex intersections and inviting reflection on enduring legacies of oppression and displacement.
Through her sculptural work, Perez explores the symbolism of hair, incorporating braids to evoke emotions and the myriad of stolen histories repaired by the community through braiding and conversation. The braided sculptures’ forms reflect this sense – amorphous, organic, undulating. Reminiscent of slime, with a viscous quality that seems to be trying to find its shape – a terra birthed out of coiling masses of hair formed by stories.
When she creates, she creates and holds precious spaces and places for her antepasados. While crafted from dark materials and initially appearing formidable, the sculptures evoke a nurturing embrace, inviting viewers to perceive the love within rather than succumb to fear.
Art becomes a tool for comprehending socio-political issues affecting communities, enabling collaboration toward representation and interdependence.
