Margarita

2001, Screenprint

26 x 20 inches

This screen print honors my mother’s reunion with my brother, Ricky, her firstborn, who was taken from her at birth and adopted by another family. As a young immigrant from Peru experiencing domestic violence and facing language barriers, she was pressured to relinquish him and carried that grief in silence for 31 years. When Ricky found our family in 2001, it revealed a story of loss, resilience, and healing that had been hidden for decades. In this piece, my mother wears a mask to symbolize the secret she carried, while orchids and the names “Richard and Margarita” honor their reunion and the power of reclaiming family.