Learn more about Joiri Minaya's practice in Art21's New York Close Up Series.
In the multidisciplinary practice of artist Joiri Minaya, the histories, realities, and fantasies of the Dominican Republic and the wider Caribbean are explored, exposed, and subverted as Minaya seeks to control her own representation and visibility. “I’m interested in the idea of opacity,” says Minaya. “A right to remain opaque, even to yourself, even things that you may not understand about yourself, and being at peace with that and not having to explain yourself to others.” In her collages, photographs, performances, and installations, Minaya uses pattern, camouflage, and opacity as a “tool for liberation” from outside judgment. In her photo series and performances of Containers (2015-2020), the artist recreates poses—arms akimbo, lying in odalisque—she found repeated in Google image search results for “Dominican women.” Performers wear patterned, restrictive bodysuits made from spandex that encase the wearer from head to toe...
