Chicago-based artist Liz Flores has created a series of portraits that explore familial roots and community through minimal paintings in a palette of warm, deep colors and neutral tones. In her series, titled Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá (meaning “from neither here nor there”), Flores uses the anonymity and ambiguity of her figures to examine the connections between generations and the human desire to connect with their ancestral heritage.
The series was inspired by Flores’ own experiences as a first-generation American with Cuban and Mexican parents, and by her recent trips to Cuba and Mexico, where she visited with family members and explored themes of belonging and cultural identity. The paintings, which are on display at Vertical Gallery in Chicago through the end of the year, feature abstractly painted figures whose bodies bend and join in graceful compositions, and whose elongated limbs and hand gestures imply movement.
Some of the paintings also include personal references to Flores’ connections with Cuban culture. Prints from Flores’ collaboration with The Jaunt, a travel project that sends artists to various locations around the world, are available on The Jaunt’s website, and more of her work can be found on Instagram.
