Veronica Perez’s solo exhibition features a new body of sculptures made from braided and weaved artificial hair, a material that Perez has been deeply invested in for the past three years. The artist’s intricately detailed works act as monuments to feelings of love, loss, and grief and are symbols for exploring the forgotten and stolen histories of the Latinx diaspora.

Perez’s practice is both introspective and community-oriented. Much of this work is built in and by, communities in Maine through braiding circles­: artist-organized gatherings that use the act of hair-braiding to discuss identity, experience, and belonging. Their work is deeply informed by research on the effects of colonialism, gentrification, and the genealogy of their Puerto Rican roots. In its entirety, Perez’s work aims to combat identity erasure. They writes, “Erasure causes fractures. I am interested in finding the fractures, illuminating them, and repairing them through braiding.”