Paula Maria Persiani

I am a proud New Yorker from The Heights, and my work is rooted in expressionist painting, fabric tapestries, sculpture, and installation. Drawing on my Nuyorican heritage and experiences in both New York and Puerto Rico, I explore themes of sexism, systemic racism, and neocolonialism through a lens of identity, gender, and cultural memory.

My art embodies resilience and resistance, often honoring the role of women in their communities. I use abstract mixed media, blending unconventional techniques like painting with my feet, carving shipping pallets, and beading fabrics into symbolic forms. Inspired by music and the rhythms of water, my materials move intuitively, channeling both ancestral connections and contemporary struggles.

Art, to me, is a form of storytelling and a catalyst for change. I invite viewers to reflect on the past and imagine liberated futures shaped by care, memory, and the power of women’s histories.