The Mosaic Project is a photographic initiative that aims to celebrate the rich contribution of immigrant artists living in the United States. As a Costa Rican photographer, who spent eleven years as an undocumented immigrant before obtaining my green card in 2014, the topic is not only timely, but of personal and professional relevance. Recent negativity in the media inspired me to use my art to reshape public perception by increasing the visibility of immigrant artists and highlighting their creative and cultural contributions. To date, I have executed seven portraits with artists from the Middle East (Syria, Israel), southeast Europe (Greece), Asia (Japan), Latin America (Dominican Republic, Costa Rica) and the West Indies (Guyana/Grenada), with an equally diverse range of artistic specialties (clarinet, musical saw, weaving, Latin folk/fusion music, multi-media art, dance, and classical music composition). The audio and video recorded conversations preceding the photoshoots, that were initially intended to document the creative process, have evolved into hours of rich dialogue capturing the artists’ personal and creative development, global trajectories, and unique perspectives as immigrants at this critical moment in United States history. I aim to create a collection of portraits and interviews with immigrant artists that will be displayed in public spaces, and inaugurated with a free community event featuring their work. With this, I hope The Mosaic Project can spark a dialogue that will play a positive role in shaping the future social landscape in the United States.
More info: nachoguevara.com
Oneika Phillips from Guyana/Grenada, actor and dancer
Kinan Azmeh from Syria, composer and clarinetist
Yoshinuki Minami from Japan, designer and hand weaving artist
Andrés Soto from Costa Rica, composer.
Eleni Mylonas from Greece, multimedia artist.
Irka Mateo from Dominican Republic, singer songwriter and world music artist
Natalia Paruz from Israel, saw player
