More than 50 people attended an art talk and exhibit debut on Monday with Soraida Martinez, motivational speaker and artist. Martinez is known for her art style of Verdadism, which explores the theory of empowering one’s own truth and addresses many social conditions that affect women, Latinos and the disenfranchised members of American society.
“My hope is [that] through Verdadism, I can create social change,” Martinez said as she introduced her artistic concept.
For Martinez, visual art is one of the best ways to express tolerance and promote social justice because it is able to do it in a nonthreatening way.
Martinez has used paintings such as “What Prejudice Looks Like” to open the dialogue, especially among young children who are more open to new ideas and are able to absorb concepts and break down socially constructed barriers that perpetuate stereotypes.
Martinez’s experience in corporate America influenced her paintings and motivated her to seek out the truth and promote social change and discussion about sexist misconceptions and stereotypes. Her oil and acrylic paintings, which usually measure 3 feet by 4 feet, are inspired by her personal experiences and humanity.
Diamond Jackson and Asia Anderson, both juniors in fashion textile management, experienced the Verdadism exhibit for the first time on Monday. They enjoyed the exhibit so much that they couldn’t pinpoint a favorite painting, but said that its impact is something everyone would benefit from seeing.
“It’s amazing how relevant these paintings are, even 20 years later,” Jackson said.
“Her paintings represent a voice to us as women and minorities, and it represents a lot of truth to what we experience,” Anderson said.
Each painting is accompanied by a short commentary and a longer title that describes the painting and the sentiment behind it. Her art is characterized by flat planes and bold colors, as well as symbolism, and the subjects are borne out of her personal experience or a commentary on the experiences of others.
Her personal philosophy is to empower yourself with your own truth, live for the moment with respect for others, give back to society, keep an open mind and connect to one’s spiritual side.
One of her paintings, titled “Between Two Islands,” represents Martinez’s struggle with being seen as an outsider in Harlem, New York, where she grew up, while simultaneously not being accepted in Puerto Rico where her parents were from.
“When you label someone, you’re putting them in little boxes,” Martinez said.
“I’d rather be labeled as who I am, myself, as Soraida Martinez.”
The exhibit will be on display from Sept. 15 through Sept. 26 on the second floor of Witherspoon Student Center in the African American Cultural Center Art Gallery.
