Remothering Myself

Illustrating matriarchal figures gathered around a cauldron, Rematernarme offers a representation of the importance of self-care, community, and mutual aid. The text at the work’s bottom edge reads: “Engraving is not easy, nor is ceramic or photography. This is a test. Making art in a country like this is very complex. This engraving is called ‘Rematernarme.’ We are still in process.” Referring to the artistic media she works in, Leonor relates their technical difficulty with that of creating art in a country like Puerto Rico. When she emphasizes that Rematernarme is a “test,” Leonor is also creating a linguistic parallel between “tasting” the food (in Spanish, “probar”) and the “test” (in Spanish, “prueba”) of the print. The piece’s central figures enjoy and celebrate the act of taking care of oneself (or “self-remothering”) through artistic creation as a gesture of resistance.