El Matrimonio Quisqueyano
El Matrimonio Quisqueyano | 2015
El Matrimonio Quisqueyano (The Marriage of Quisqueya) discusses the environmental, racial, economical, and political issues that still challenge the island of Quisqueya where the modern-day Dominican Republic and Haiti reside. The artist conveys the harsh reality constantly ignored by politicians through the use of historical symbolic imagery illustrated in the collection with embroidery and laser-cut techniques.
The male figure represents the land and the original inhabitants of the island. The female stands for the politician and their corrupt governing. The relationship between the people and the government is very obscure. In "Dinner for Two" Rodriguez discusses how the lack of nutrition is negatively affecting the people. Rodriguez focuses on communicating with the viewers that by neglecting the land you are essentially degrading the value it could potentially provide for its people. The artist again goes back to the subject with "Hunger."
In "El Matrimonio Quisqueyano" Rodriguez speaks about inequality, racial struggles, and the enforcement of Christianity. The use of butterflies in this image is a representation of The Mirabal Sisters known as National Heroines of the Dominican Republic. Their bravery and active role against the dictatorship of the Trujillo era have given them their place in history. The artist uses the butterfly as a reminder to herself and the audience of that bravery.