cyanotype; 10×10″, image 6×6″

“The phrase Dios Te Bendiga roughly translates to “go with God’s blessing”. Boriquens typically say bendición (blessing) after greeting someone or upon exiting as it is a form of showing respect, and this is especially common when approaching elders. The responding expression by the person receiving the blessing would be Dios te bendiga. I chose to implement this as the title for the work because it represents the desire for a blessing after the destruction. It’s the healing of our wounds.”

ARTIST BIO: Katherine Méndez is a rising graduate at the State University of New York at Purchase, and is pursuing two bachelor’s degrees in printmaking and philosophy. Her work is primarily focused on Latinx phenomenology and ideas of justice. Méndez actively incorporates the beauty and hardships that encompass her identity through collaged family photographs and found images, and transforms those pieces into cyanotypes.