Week 8 Presentations: Harmonia Rosales

In this weeks presentations, the artist that stood out to me was Harmonia Rosales. Harmonia Rosales is a Afro-Cuban artist who uses her artistic skills and creativity to empower her black culture and identity while also challenging whiteness.  I really felt that her art was very empowering and beautiful since it challenges and portrays prevalent issues that are present in society. Specifically, the way young black girls are hypersexualized, discriminated, and objectified due to their color of their skin. The painting T.H.OT., showcases the adultification and exploitation of young black girls. It portrays a powerful message to viewers. In particular, the way many black girls experience sexual harassment and interpersonal violence in schools because young black girls are often stereotyped to be  less "innocent", and deemed overly aggressive compared to their white peers. This painting displays the social, racial, and gender issues that continue to be prevalent due to the embedded racism and inequality ingrained in our institutions. Therefore, this painting effectively communicates a discussion about how black women endure oppression and maltreatment at a young age.  Additionally, I admire the fact that Rosales utilizes her platform to represent Afro-Latinas who are often marginalized and questioned in the Latinx culture (which is another issue that needs to be discussed).  Rosales captivates her viewers by representing black women and reinventing and deconstructing many classical euro-centric artwork. Thus, she is able to use her talent into empowering her own identity and challenging hegemony.