Racial and cultural identity is polymorphous. Life changes, information, and experiences alter the interpretation of self.
The story of my DNA (98% indigenous with no Iberian roots) is difficult to reconcile with my upbringing as a U.S. Citizen, raised by foreign-born parents in a predominantly African-American community in the heart of Los Angeles.
My appearance to many identifies me as Oaxacan, but my cultural markers cover a breadth of geography and movement as seen here in the series of works, DNA.
Juan Manuel Ildefonso