...... Emotive plaster figures emerged from my work as a response to recurring genocide, political struggle and injustice, evoking memories which had incubated within me since childhood resulting from the civil war in my own country. I felt the need to create spirits capable of overcoming struggle and manifesting inner strength. Called “ harapos ,” a Spanish word meaning “tatters,” the pieces allow the voice of the collective universal experience to resonate through the viewer, illustrating the agony and ecstasy of the human condition. The dramatic study of light and shadow alludes to the energetic and contrasting forces at work both visually and symbolically within each piece.