Fragments
The images in the series Fragments explore notions of intersectionality and identity. Through the juxtaposition and layering of objects and portraits, this work examines the multiple layers and complexities of queer people of color. Through the use of cultural symbols, portraits, and writing, these works ask the viewer to consider the ways in which queer people of color must navigate both their respective cultures and their place in the LGBTQ+ community.
Working in collaboration with several queer people of color, I have created these works which provide a new visual dialogue on this diverse community.
This series started out as a combination of studio portraits and Photoshop experimentation. Now, amid a pandemic, I was pushed to find a new and unorthodox way for Fragments to persist. I interviewed and photographed subjects from around the world via video chat, created a makeshift studio in my bedroom, and found objects around my house to photograph.
My goal in creating this series is for queer people of color to share their thoughts and experiences in a world where they often feel like they do not have a voice, and for non queer people of color to learn of their experiences, and be supportive of others, regardless of whether or not they are part of their specific community.
Not Enough
Unapologetic
Representation
Progress
Fear
Expectations
Support
Expression
Reality
Patricia “Gem” Díaz Velázquez se crió en Humacao, Puerto Rico y está en su cuarto año en Bradley University, donde estudia fotografía. También tiene dos sub-concentraciones (minors en inglés) en periodismo y estudios latinoamericanos. Díaz Velázquez ha creado arte sobre los temas de identidad, género y la teoría poscolonial.
Ella es un miembro de SPE, la sociedad para fotografía educativa (en inglés: Society for Photographic Education). Tres de sus fotos han sido expuesta en la conferencia SPE del capítulo del Medio Oeste en el año 2017. Adicionalmente, Díaz Velázquez es un miembro y ex-curadora de arte para la revista de arte y literatura de Bradley, la cual se llama Broadside. Su foto "Sea Blues" será la portada para la nueva edición de este semestre (primavera del 2020) de la revista.
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Patricia “Gem” Díaz Velázquez is a soon-to-be Bradley University (Peoria, IL) alum from Humacao, Puerto Rico. She is majoring in photography and minoring in journalism and Latin American studies. Díaz Velázquez’s work highlights issues relating to identity, intersectionality, gender, and post-colonial theory.
Díaz Velázquez is a member of the photography organization Society for Photographic Education (SPE) and has had her works exhibited in SPE’s Midwest Chapter Conference in 2017. She is also a former art curator for Broadside, Bradley University’s literary and art journal. Her image “Sea Blues” is set to be Broadside’s cover for the Spring 2020 edition of the journal.
To view more of Patricia's work, check out: https://patriciadvphoto.wixsite.com/dvphotography
