Mural De Las Mujeres

Happy International Women's Day! Here's a mural of Latina women by Puerto Rico-born artist Sofia Maldonado spotted on 42nd St. between 7th & 8th Avenues in New York City recently. Her work is called "42nd St. Mural" made possible by the Times Square Alliance and the Cuban Artist Fund.

Sofia Maldonado was "born in Puerto Rico, from a Cuban mother. She admires her country's rural landscapes, along with the chaos of the city and the abandoned structures within them, by creating her own visual language with bright colors and flowing brush strokes that simulate nature. Since 2002 she has developed several mural projects, along with paintings and drawings. Sofia's artwork is a blend of fashion trends, the Latina female aesthetic and various street culture elements, such as skateboarding, graffiti, "reggaeton", and others."

According to the artist, the concept for her mural was "to represent the characters and happenings that you, or a tourist, usually do not see in Time Square, even though it could be a frequent scene in Latino neighborhoods as Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The juxtaposition of big characters over a red fire background symbolizes the explosive attitude that most Latinas are born with. This leads them to be strong single mothers, enjoy life no matter as tough as it can be in a third world country, or succeed as immigrants in a racist or xenophobe environment."

Speaking of Latino neighborhoods, I still haven't seen the Broadway musical "In The Heights," but my cousin in high school will see it this Thursday in the city with his acting club.