“We are to be feared. Dictatorship is a lid that is constantly checked by the pressure of a rising community. As artists and activists, we feel it is our duty to stand against oppression. We are the blade that lives in your pocket. Coming from places where dictatorships have shaped our lives, Latin America, we know how important it is to rebel and also how important it becomes to hide behind masks. We take to the streets with graffiti and wheat pastes. We hide behind aliases and hoodies. Sometimes for our own safety, sometimes for the protection of our families. 

The masks we explore in our paintings are a reflection on the layers of what each subject is. Rebellion is a mask to hide our burning passions. Our reality becomes skewed as we recall the moments that have shaped us. In Andean culture there are many, many masks such as the Kusillo and the Diablada. These two masks are found in our celebrations of harvest but also hide the sadness of death. With each year of harvest we also celebrate the passing of many as a price paid for abundance. On street corners people are accustomed to pour some liquor for the earth (La Pachamama) and for our loved ones who passed. 

Our fantastic realism found in this collection is reflective of our versatile lives. We have lived in many places and absorbed so much wisdom from our travels. Our landscapes come from a combination of being connected to nature growing up in the countryside to the busy hustle and bustle of city life. We carry our experiences like ghosts and they are invoked in our paintings.”