I was born in the United States to parents who were both born in Cuba, and I’ve spent my life balancing on the hyphen between Cuban and American. Early on, out of a child’s instinct to survive, I learned to fit in at school by assimilating. So much so that I felt like I turned my back on my family history and heritage. Until some years ago, when I decided that it was time to explore my Cuban-ness by visiting the island.
And so it was that I found myself in 2016 traveling by car in Cuba, from Havana to Cienfuegos, then to Camagüey, Las Tunas, and Trinidad. I witnessed the daily lives of the people through dusty windows and heard stories from them wherever we stopped. I took it all in and searched for myself — my roots — in the faces and lives of strangers.
Ever since my trip to Cuba I have been exploring identity in my photographic work as it relates to myself and others. From small projects like the “See Me” self-portraits — part of the group show “Speak Up” — to my Cuba project called “Hyphen" (both can be viewed on my website).
Currently my exploration of identity has centered around a portrait project in progress I’m calling Shameless (www.ovegadesign.com/shameless) .
