The "Unframed" series of ceramic sculptures is a translation of traditional Cuban bronze photo frames into porcelain. They are a metaphor of the many ways immigrants and their families are constantly translating new experiences of being “other” into a language of familiarity and resilience. Some are glazed with a blue and white glaze that recalls the colors of Ming Dynasty porcelains - those export pieces were themselves a constructed aesthetic negotiated by Asian and Western tastes, others in a verdigris or carved/sgraffito underglaze. Unlike their inspiration, though, these sculptures are not meant to hold images. Instead they frame an empty space to be populated by one's own memories, nostalgia, biases, and desires.
