Alumni Art Exhibition 2021 - Aydinaneth Ortiz

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AYDINANETH ORTIZ

two black and white portraits of a mother and daughter

위란의 딸, ttal of Weiran
Weiran: bp. Dogye-eup, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
2005 migrated to the United States, 2020
Silver Gelatin Print
14 x 18 inches each, diptych

Two black and white portraits of a mother and daughter.

Hija de Teresa
Teresa: bp. Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico
2005 migrated to the United States, 2018
Silver Gelatin Print
14 x 18 inches each, diptych

Three black and white portraits of a mother and her daughters.

Hijas de Elsie
Elsie: bp. Santiago, Chile
1978 migrated to the United States, 2018
Silver Gelatin Print
14 x 18 inches each, triptych


Hija de tu Madre focuses on the positive relationships between migrant mothers and their daughters using the historical context of portraiture and representation. I initiated the series with black-and-white individual portraits of my mother, sister, and I, and continued the series at the home of 15 subjects. Each portrait aims to counter negative migrant stereotypes by photographing strong women who have migrated to the United States. While the Trump administration went out of its way to marginalize Latin Americans, this series aspired to empower women’s resiliency despite the multitude of challenges they continue to face. Each family is considered one body of work and titled according to the mothers' name (e.g. Hijas de Ana). To give the viewer more context, I include each mother’s birthplace and the year she emigrated to the United States.

Aydinaneth Ortiz received her BA in Art at the University of California, Los Angeles, and MFA in Photography at the California Institute of the Arts. Utilizing documentary, landscape, and portrait photography, she focuses on intersections between urban structures, familial relationships, mental illness, drug addiction, and immigration. For years, her art has been a direct response to personal struggles and familial hardships. Most would shy away from making the private so public, but Ortiz has found that through the art-making process, she can channel her negative energy into a shared conversation. Ortiz has exhibited her artwork internationally, most notably at the Pomona College Museum of Art in Claremont and the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, where she is now part of their permanent collection.