Damiana Salazar

Lives and works in Providence, RI, USA

Artist statement

Damiana Salazar is a Providence based creative. As a working designer and writer she is currently pursuing a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in printmaking. Her visual art is principally influenced by her experiences and positionality as a working class woman. Her paintings and illustrative work explores the objective visual features of the feminine body and the inherent beauty in it. she likes to depict the form of the figure while contrasting it to the harsh realities of living in a body that is socially maligned / unknown. location is often utilized in order to establish socio-political context. Her paintings are influenced by progressive queer figurative artists such as Frida Kahlo and Salman Toor as well as European / American decorative folk art. As a graphic designer she is similarly interested in the political implications of the figure as other and self. She is interested in incorporating design elements from the mid-century pulp art movement and more modern punk / hardcore references, inspired by my experiences growing up in Providence’s underground music scene. As a writer I have experience writing both nonfiction and fiction. I tend to focus on political subjects that align with my artistic sensibilities and class positionality.

Artwork