Laura Alvarez

The image I chose from Laura Alvarez’s work is the one titled Blow Up the Hard Drive. It is an 18” x 26” limited edition silkscreen that she finished in 1999. I chose this image because it depicts the maid in her attire and shows her sneaking onto the computer. She is also about to blow up the hard drive which conveys that she may look like a maid, but her life is full of action and excitement. Alvarez’s work really resonates with me because when I was younger I wanted to be a spy. Being an ordinary person who blends in, I felt that it would be easy for me to be a spy since no one would suspect me. This is similar to Alvarez’s work in that no one expects a maid to have a secret life. I also admire her work because I interpret it as not judging people as you see them. In this image, you see an ordinary maid until you realize that she is about to blow up the hard drive and now you realize that she is anything but ordinary. This is why I wanted to be a spy when I was younger, to show that I may look “ordinary” but there is more to me than what you and that is why I love Alvarez’s work.