Banderas Desplazadas: Sueño Amerikano

Sueño Amerikano is the first in a series of works titled Banderas Desplazadas (Displaced Flags). This concept was initially conceived in 2023 with the goal to shed light on the Cuban Diaspora, occurring since the 1980s and perhaps even before, due to the inhumane conditions and corrupt leadership that have left the island in absolute stagnation. This lack of progression is concurrently displacing millions of Cubans all over the world with the hope of a better future for their families. Sueño Amerikano is my personal story of immigration to the United States as a child in the year 2006. I take direct inspiration from Picasso’s The Tragedy, a bleak portrait of a poor family by the sea created during his Blue Period. My rendition features a picturesque faceless family of four posing at a beach presumably after reaching American soil for the very first time. These brightly colored figures symbolize the start of our new lives in a completely foreign land with many aspirations, chasing “The American Dream.” Our motherland we leave behind, but our culture and flag we wear directly on the skin we live in.

Mixed Media on Canvas, 48in x 68in