:botánica

Through an exploration of the spirituality of his Puerto Rican upbringing, Monteavaro gives new form to the diversity of cultures, beliefs, and traditions that shape Latinx communities today.

In this exhibition, Monteavaro creates a botánica in the gallery space; his paintings include tarot card
reinterpretations, religious offerings reimagined, cultural and familial figures presented in new ways, andbaños (spiritual baths) made in grand scale. Together, the works give viewers a sense of stepping into a space that is at once highly personal and significantly communal. From recycled water bottles to kitchen apples, Monteavaro pays homage to the people, places, materials, and traditions that have helped many Latinx people to survive and thrive in the United States.

:botánica takes as its backdrop the history of Spanish colonialism, which brought large numbers of African people to the Americas and the Caribbean. There, Spanish Catholicism mixed with West African and indigenous religious practices and resulted in the Caribbean religions and people we recognize today. 

To this day, West African and indigenous medicines and remedies, gods, and spiritual traditions are practiced in many Latinx homes, yet not discussed openly, as they are intertwined with and masked by Catholic saints, prayers, and rituals.

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