Connected Diaspora: Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media from September 14, 2020 to December 12, 2020 at The Stamp Gallery | University of Maryland, College Park | Written by Kayla Conklin

Among the many striking artworks exhibited in “Connected Diaspora: Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media,” the work of Jessy DeSantis certainly stands out. DeSantis’s featured work, titled Abuelita (60″ x 48″, Acrylic on canvas, 2019), is a part of a larger series titled “Human Connection via Nature: Two Family Portrait and Story Series.”

Abuelita is a large painting on canvas that prominently features an elderly woman in profile. She has medium-length blue-gray hair, a subtle smile, wrinkles around her eyes and neck, and a breast tattoo. The figure is positioned in the center of the composition, surrounded with hummingbirds, guardabarranco birds, and a cross-section of a pitaya fruit. Peculiarly, she wears a Star of David necklace around her neck. Like many of her other paintings, this image features very vibrant colors like turquoise, purple, and emerald green.

DeSantis has published several statements about this piece and the teeming symbolism within it. As the title of the series may suggest (“Human Connection via Nature: Two Family Portrait and Story Series”), nature is very present in this human-made painting. The birds are a symbol of migration and movement. The Pitaya, a fruit native to Central America, is a nod to DeSantis’s cultural roots. DeSantis uses symbolism in flora and fauna to tell a story about diasporic cultural migration.

DeSantis has also commented on the Star of David present in the image. The woman in the painting her grandmother, does not identify as a Jewish. However, she migrated from Managua to New York, entering a city with a robust Jewish community. Like the flora and fauna in the image, the Star of David nods to cultural diversity and transnational identity.

This image, Abuelita, challenges the notion that one must fit into one specific type of ethnic identity. Instead, we must consider identity as a grayscale where mixing and blending is beautiful. DeSantis’s use of vibrant colors, symbolic flora and fauna, and the seemingly out of place Star of David suggest that cultural identity is complicated and it can mean something different to everybody.

For more information on Connected Diaspora: Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media and related events, visit https://thestamp.umd.edu/stamp_gallery