Dama Tatuada (Tattoo Lady)

Part of the series “El Circo, ” these photographs capture the circus’ wonder and fantasy through three exotic characters. These “characters, ” who are in fact the artist’s friends, pose for a large format camera in front of colorful sets that the artist has constructed and painted to complement the figures. In “Dama Tatuada” the pattern on the curtain backdrop blends with the woman’s tattoo; in “El Mas Fuerte” the muscle man’s two red bowling balls match a deep red curtain backdrop; and in “Domadora de Caballos” a young girl with a pale blue shirt sits in front of a backdrop with a pale blue sky. Each figure performs for the viewer, suggesting different states of magic and possibility.