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.”
Veronica Perez has exhibited in Maine at Cove Street Arts (Portland, ME), Colby College (Waterville, ME), Portland Museum of Art, SPACE Gallery (Portland, ME), and New Systems Exhibitions (Portland, ME). In 2020 they were awarded the Ellis-Beauregard Fellowship in the Visual Arts and is currently a fellow at the Lunder Institute for American Art at the Colby College Museum of Art. Perez received an MFA from Maine College of Art and a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design (Philadelphia, PA).
Veronica Perez created the works on view during a year-long residential fellowship at the Colby College Museum of Art’s Lunder Institute for American Art.
This exhibition is made possible through grants from the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts with additional support from individual donors and members.
Learn more about the exhibition here.
Press
The Art of Veronica Perez – Maine Women Magazine, June 2022
Events
Artist Dialogue with Alexandra Méndez | Saturday, June 23, 2-3pm
Braiding Circle with Veronica Perez | Friday, August 26, 4-6pm
Videos
Artist Dialogue with Alexandra Méndez
Guided Tour with Veronica Perez
Header image: Veronica Perez, voices, whispering, 2022, installation view