In Andean pre-colonial times, androgynous and gender-fluid people were respected as spiritual beings who provided guidance and wisdom. ‘Renacimiento’ is a portrait series that started to form after Angel traveled to her parent’s native country of Ecuador. Renacimiento means rebirth. Angel felt reconnected with her ancestors after traveling and experienced a rebirth of the self that lit a fire towards her gender transition. Inspired by this, Angel delved into researching themes of pre-Hispanic Andean lifestyle and views towards gender shortly after returning to New York. The more she educated herself about her ancestry the more she grew to embrace parts of herself.

The process for the images begins with an initial concept sketch. Angel photographs several images with the sketch in mind and the image is then pieced together, adding styling such as hair, makeup, clothes and environment to create a hyper-realistic vision for the future. Minimally constructed sets adorn the backdrop in a dreamscape that takes reference from Ecuador’s landscape. Themes of gender identity, sexuality, fashion, and chosen family, among others inadvertently chronicle a journey of identity. Renacimiento is a celebration and tribute to Angel’s Andean ancestry and androgynous creative force. There is a necessity to affirm and represent more spectrums within the current binary that constricts us and Renacimiento is the imagined space where the future is fluid and free.

‘En Las Nubes’ from the Renacimiento series is currently on view until December at ESTILAZO as part of The Latinx Project. The Latinx Project at New York University explores and promotes U.S. Latinx Art, Culture and Scholarship through creative and interdisciplinary programs.