Laura Alvarez

Unfortunately, I was extremely sick this week so I was unable to get to know Laura Alvarez. However, her art speaks volumes about the type of person she is. Her persona, double agent sirvienta (DAS) seems to be the character she centers her art work around. I decided to examine her print, Armor because it reflects DAS. Latinas are commonly seen as doing the housework around the home so their apron comes in handy, but it also deflects the attention from her which allows her to proceed with her life undetected. It's quite interesting that Alvarez refers to her characters, which are typically depicted as domestic workers, as DAS while many may just see these workers as invisible. When people look at domestic workers, they view them as existing to service their employers. However, it strikes me how Alvarez views domestic work. In western culture, people are often defined by their job and DAS helps to get rid of that idea. Maids are not just maids, Alvarez gives them the persona of a double agent to illustrate that domestic workers have fantastic lives outside of their job.
The print reminded me of my mother, she is a housekeeper for a hospital so she wears her uniform to work. Her uniform is a bland beige color that helps her blend into the background. However, my mom is a multifaceted person with a large personality. She is a strong and solid figure in my life that I value more than anyone. Therefore, I cannot ever imagine my mother being an invisible figure in my life, she is a strong force in my life and at work she provides a necessary service to hundreds of people everyday.

Armor