Artist defends 42nd Street mural under fire

Sofia Maldonado got started in her native Puerto Rico where she saw no limits to expressing her artistic vision. The artist has gone from painting on abandoned buildings to being featured in art galleries from California to France. Now, the 26-year-old has a 92-foot mural on 42nd Street in Times Square. And while the bright lights and life size billboards of Times Square may go unnoticed, Maldonado's piece has commanded attention and is causing quite the stir.

Commissioned by the Times Square Alliance, the mural depicts black & Latino women in a light that has garnered criticism. The mural showcases the women: dressed provocatively, wearing long acrylic nails, showy jewelry, bright hair colors, their bodies adorned with tattoos and piercing, and their hands equipped with knuckle braces. While some think her work is "beautiful," critics have coined it "ghetto" and are calling for the murals removal, saying: "it's degrading to all women." 

The young artist says her art aims to capture the "chaos of the city and the abandoned structures within them." So, are New Yorkers overreacting or do they have a point? Maldonado spoke to The Daily Voice Managing Editor, Sylvia A. Harvey, about her mural and her intentions. 

SYLVIA A. HARVEY: As a Latina woman is their significance to having your work commissioned by the Time Square Alliance and having it featured in such a popular location in New York CIty?

SOFIA MALDONADO: Of course, that has been one of my drives. I feel proud and it motivates me to keep working hard to be an example to girls and women (Latina or not) out there. It's a hard world for most women, but we can overcome these issues by [owning] our personal sense of femininity.

HARVEY: How did you come up with the concept for the mural? Who are the women you've painted?

MALDONADO: I wanted to portray the untold story. The characters in [this piece] are strong looking and in control of their sexuality. They represent captivating women I have encountered: the brave, strong, and tough women who have to overcome daily struggles. Women that have to impose themselves in a male-dominated world, in a post-feminist society these women can own their bodies in a powerful way without being depicted negatively.

HARVEY: So you don't think these women are being portrayed negatively?

MALDONADO: No. While working on a project in Hartford, Connecticut, commissioned by Real Art Ways, I was placed in a Puerto Rican community. The community identified with my characters and did not feel offended.

HARVEY: Did you talk to community members about the mural?

MALDONADO: Yes. As an artist, I understand the importance of interacting with the locals before painting a mural in their neighborhood. Women that worked at a nearby nail-art salon decorated characters in the mural. They applied their aesthetic with acrylic nail designs, painting long eyelashes, glitter eye shadow, bright lipstick, tattooing their names and adorning their bodies with piercing. I wanted to share this with New York.

HARVEY: Critics have accused you of generalizing black and Latina women by the depictions in the mural. Is that the case or is it a case of airing a cultures so called "dirty laundry?"

MALDONADO: I have no intentions to generalize a specific culture. Women should be respected despite their attire: it shouldn't be limited to high-couture or corporate wear. I am not interested in representing the typical canons of "perfect beauty" that people see in magazines or on television.

Dirty laundry" should be shown about every culture. Censorship and image editing is one of the biggest issues in our society today.

HARVEY: While on FOX News Anthony Herbert, a community advocate asked, "Why are they not standing here with briefcases and cell phones or even communicating with people to show the professionalism of black and Latino women?" What is your response to that?

MALDONADO: The whole concept behind the mural was to [go against the grain], not to paint a mural that would fit perfectly on 42nd Street. In my first draft I did have women with brief cases. But I was [depicting] what people would love to see. Why not contrast with Time Square: what about the women people don't pay attention to?

HARVEY: Not everyone is opposed to your piece. Some have called it "beautiful." Where do you think that interpretation/understanding comes from?

MALDONADO: I live in [Bedford-Stuyvesant] and it is a picturesque, beautiful, and culturally enriching neighborhood. The people that feel a connection with [my mural] understand the variations of beauty and [culture].

HARVEY: What do you have to say to the women that feel your mural is "degrading to all women" and fosters the same stereotypes that black and Latino women are struggling to overcome. 

MALDONADO: This mural has provoked a conflict with some people's view of female aesthetic and bodies. As a woman I see nothing wrong with their clothing or [representation.] It is a woman's choice. When it comes to advertisement [the] media ignores these women. Or if represented, they portray it as a "negative" factor of our society. I specifically selected this type of femininity to deconstruct that negative stereotype. By taking control of my Latino-culture I define this as a "non-negative."

HARVEY: Some of the women appear to be in suggestive poses. What are they doing? 

MALDONADO: They are dancing! They are enjoying freedom and listening to reggaeton and dancehall. I originally had a radio in the scene but removed it. (Chuckling) Maybe I should have left it in. 

HARVEY: Do you relate to the women in your piece?

MALDONADO: I am very proud to be Caribbean. It is a positive culture that celebration the body, music, art, and dance. While living in the states I have been able to work in partnership with different women organizations. I appreciate the [culture exchange]. In my next mural project I am planning to collaborate with female inmates and/or domestic violence victims.

HARVEY: Is the mural for any ethnic group in particular?

MALDONADO: It's for everybody! Although, there is a small detail for my Boricua people: the character with the green jumpsuit has "LIBERTAD 1898 (the date when USA invaded Puerto Rico)" written in her knuckle brace. We are still one of the last colonies in the Caribbean and cannot vote for our President.

HARVEY: Overall, what is the mission of your mural? What do you want people to take from it?

MALDONADO: It's a celebration and recognition of a specific stereotype that has been portrayed as negative. I am not generalizing Latina or black woman, just deconstructing people's minds. Why are we fighting that pseudo-negative stereotype? Negative, why? In the Caribbean [what the women are wearing in the mural] is a normal dress in some areas.

I want people to see: beauty, empowerment and confident women: to understand the relativity of beauty.

HARVEY: This mural is just a part of your work, I know that you also have a drawing installation titled, "The Queens." How does that compare or contrast to your current piece?

MALDONADO: It's a tribute to the "The Queens" of the Shrine. Fela Anikulapo Kuti's struggle against colonialism has been a great inspiration for me. At Vermont Studios art residency program I was able to develop 27 ink drawings while listening to Fela's music. These women carried their beauty and power with so much pride, after all the circumstances and government attacks they lived through, supporting an anti-colonialist cause. The Queens unconditional support to Fela Kuti should be recognized, and praised. The women in the mural deserve to be seen too.

HARVEY: With people rallying to have your mural removed, what are your hopes for it?

MALDONADO: That it stays. I am [committed] to my statement as an artist, and will continue to speak for the issues I feel are important. I know there are people that understand my vision, and for those who do not agree with it, I respect them as well. I didn't intend to spark controversy but it has raised some interesting issues [within our society.]