Jose Ramos
Pronouns: he/they
Research Mentor(s): Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes
Research Mentor School/College/Department: American Culture / LSA
Program: UROP
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Authors:
Abstract
This research project attempts to investigate the causes and realities associated with contemporary artistic performances in Puerto Rico and its diasporic communities, as well as how these artists’ art has been informed by the economic conditions, natural disasters, and the political realities of contemporary life in Puerto Rico. In order to complete this study, the examination of various Puerto Rican Studies articles and the application of their scholarship to the performances of select Puerto Rican artists, most importantly Awilda Rodríguez Lora and her performances of her project “La Mujer Maravilla.” Understanding “La Mujer Maravilla” and its commentary on gender, power structures, and the body. Rodríguez Lora explores and examines the role that “La Mujer Maravilla” holds within society and how she embodies her in her own life. This research has also investigated how Rodríguez Lora’s work can be interpreted through the understanding of the various Latina superheroes, such as La Borinqueña, América Chávez, and Wonder Woman. The connections between “La Mujer Maravilla” and Wonder Woman are especially noteworthy because the title of Rodríguez Lora’s performance art piece is also the translation of the famous superheroine’s name into Spanish. Tangentially, Rodríguez Lora is also exploring the roles, powers, and expectations held by women within the greater society. Rodríguez Lora is a powerful performance artist within the Puerto Rican art movement, and this study serves as a beginning of the scholarly analysis of her work and how her work can be used to better understand the ways by which modern societal issues have affected Puerto Rican performance art.
