Visual Representations of Afro Latinx Identity through Afro Latinx Artists and their Work

Abstract

Identifying as Afro Latinx embraces the diasporic character of blackness present in Latin America, the Caribbean, and in the United States. Terms such as Latinx, Mestizo, and Hispanic do not fully capture the different cultures and experiences of peoples from Latin America or the Caribbean whether born in those countries, having migrated to the United States, or being born there. Afro Latinidad challenges the already existing notions of identity politics, race, and ethnicity and is reflected within its discourse. Afro Latinx artists use their art to express the contradictions of identity politics and racial classifications in the U.S. and Latin America to express what means to them to be Afro Latinx. Examinations of works from artists Firelei Baez, Fabiola Jean Louis, and David Antonio Cruz show that by contextualizing diasporic histories, shared cultural experiences, and presenting positive imagery of ethno-racial bodies, we can expose internalized racism within Latinx culture while promoting diasporic black art.