Spotlight Artist

Luis Vasquez La Roche

MFA Annual
Artist profile photo
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement

 Since I found the Slave Registry of Trinidad and Tobago, I have taken an interest in archival documents and images that relate to the transatlantic slave trade. I became interested in aspects that repeat themselves in varying ways in the present. Aspects such as labor, death, erasure, oppression, violence, and discrimination are profoundly present. Even though the slave trade managed to dehumanize millions of Black people, with the consequence of continuing to do so in the present, we can find hope, resistance, and resilience. An essential part of the research is an inquiry regarding material associated with the history of the slave trade. I employ these materials in my work to articulate aspects of race, identity, culture, politics, and spirituality.

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