EXHIBITIONS/RECOGNITION

• Selected for Rutgers University Institutional Artwork Display, office of the President of Rutgers University (September 2022-Present)

• Welcome to Your New Home (Exhibition), Consulate of Mexico in New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ (September 23, 2023 - Present)

• Art of Photography (Exhibition), Arts Square New York Gallery, Virtual (May 26, 2023 - June 30, 2023)

• What I Want to Tell You (Exhibition), Mason Gross Galleries, New Brunswick, NJ (Photobook) (April 26, 2023 - May 8, 2023)

• Official Selection for International Photography Awards, awarded in ‘Book, Fine Art’ category (August 2023)

The idea for the photobook sprung from two distinctly different global phenomena: one being the COVID-19 pandemic—a genuinely catastrophic crisis—and the other, the ubiquitous hullabaloo surrounding UFOs or what the military refers to as UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena). The pandemic—a crisis exacerbated (if not directly caused) by bad human behavior—inspired me to ponder any alien's motive to visit our planet. It begged the question: "Would superior intelligence and greater technical knowledge preclude an alien species from having the same virtues, flaws, and desires that exist in human beings? Inspired in part by one of the darkest chapters in modern history—the COVID-19 pandemic—this thought exercise eventually coalesced into a photobook that chronicles the odyssey of a fictional alien visiting our fragile planet told through a chronological series of photographs. Figurative visual breadcrumbs that address questions concerning the alien's motive and agenda are left behind, leaving ample room for viewer interpretation. The other significant inspiration for the photobook comes from my long-standing fascination with the worldwide interest in the UFO/UFP phenomenon. Rather than believing that we are being visited by extraterrestrials, I am more intrigued by the notion that so many people believe such occurrences are actually taking place. Public interest in possible alien visitation has only intensified since the Pentagon released previously classified information regarding UFPs. And arguably, no other country's citizens are more receptive to the idea of extraterrestrial visitation than Chile's. Referred to as OVNIs (the Spanish acronym for UFOs [objet volant non identifé]) in Chile, UFOs are practically an obsession in Chile. And most of the Chileans I have encountered (all of my maternal family reside in Chile) not only believe in alien visitations—but claim to have actually seen UFOs!

Aside from the omnipresent belief in alien visitations, Chile proved to be the perfect backdrop for my photobook for another reason: its abundance of alien-looking landscapes. From the Valley of the Moon (named after its geological features resembling the moon's surface) located in the Atacama desert (the driest desert on Earth) to the frigid and majestic glaciers in Patagonia, Chile offers otherworldly panoramas, a feast for the eyes of any photographer or sci-fi fan.

In both 2022 and 2023, I traveled to Chile to research and take photographs for what would eventually become A Quiet Embrace: Norte. The challenging project involved complicated self-portraitures—shot with 35 mm black-and-white film. The undeveloped film was then brought back from Chile to New Brunswick to be developed at the darkroom studio at Mason Gross. An interesting challenge of note: Since I would not be developing the film until my return to New Brunswick, it was quite nerve-wracking—yet thrilling—not knowing how the photographs would actually turn out. Thankfully, the photographs came out as intended, and I eventually presented the completed photobook at Mason Gross Galleries.

Several photographs from A Quiet Embrace: Norte were requested for an art exhibition at the Consulate of Mexico in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to commemorate the consulate's grand opening and celebrate its partnership with Mason Gross School of the Arts. The photographs were on display the entire school year (Fall 2023/Spring 2024). Another photograph from the photobook has remained on display in the Presidential Office Suite at Rutgers University since 2022.