Yelaine Rodriguez in a Matrix of Fabulous Discoveries

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Yelaine Rodriguez

Bio: My work is affected by the social and political tactics of identity formation and the dispute of women’s roles in historical references. I am encouraged by the endurance to thrive as an Afro-Latinx individual raised within the Caribbean and the United States Black experiences. I design pieces that correlate to my Afro-Dominican roots and environment, unearthing the unknown, the women in my family, the connection between the people and the land, African and native rituals, Afro-syncretic religions, feminine and masculine roles. I am engaged in a conversation with history and its effects on our lives and our personalities.

I source Afro-syncretic religious traditions found in the Dominican and Haitian African diasporic communities, such as Voodoo and Santeria, to conceptualize wearable art and costume pieces. These are activated when worn by people whom I imagine to possess the characteristics of specific deities. My artistic practice is a commentary on the existence of a new Black culture generated from the New World, focusing on orishas and loas.