Karen Navarro’s (b. 1990) El Pertenecer en Tiempos Modernos (Belonging in Modern Times) series is instantly captivating. Laser-cut embossed archival inkjet prints – cast in bubble- gum pink and pillar box red – split models’ faces into concentric circles, vertical strips and checker board tiles. This aesthetic is typical for the Argentine-born, Houston-based artist, who pushes the boundaries and dimensions of images across surreal planes of distortion and obfuscation. Navarro calls upon photography, collage and sculpture to investigate the concepts of race, gender and belonging, as well as how they converge. She notes: “At once colourful, surreal and minimal, my constructed portraits invite the viewer to challenge their own perceptions and biases by highlighting the complexities that make up who we are. Identity is a social construct. Like a puzzle, the various elements of our personhood intersect, coming together to create a pluralistic sense of self.”
Piecing it Together
