La Jefatura
audio visual installation, 8 minute loop, banana boxes, copper foil, video, print on cardboard, DMX lighting control, media players, 2022
La Jefatura is a deconstructed documentary in the form of a time based audio visual installation about my mother's 25-year history as a swapmeet vendor in LA. The impulse behind doing this project is to highlight the hard work of immigrant women like my mother who sometimes have no choice but to find alternative ways of surviving in order to give a better life for their family. Although I see my mother as a badass feminist that was able to create a successful business out of $200, the story brings up issues of imposter syndrome, pain, and reliance. I use discarded banana boxes and handmade speakers which are reminiscent of the swapmeet’s upcycling and part of Mexican culture.