Samantha Friend Cabrera

Color photograph showing a partial view of a woman with red-tinted glasses, gold-hoop earrings, a white shirt with black text, and a colorful, woven crossbody bag, holding a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. A man can be seen from behind in the background of the photo, to the right of the woman.
Samantha Friend Cabrera, For Me It's Something Personal, Archival Inkjet Print, 17 x 13 in, 2019
Artist Bio:
Samantha Friend Cabrera is an artist, writer, and performer in Chicago. Her projects often center citizen collaboration on intimate scales and collaborations with artists throughout México and the United States.
Artwork Statement:
The Guadalupana tradition has taken place across centuries, uniting generations of women and bringing them to México from every part of the world. The tradition takes the form of an annual pilgrimage to the patron saint's point of apparition, bringing thousands to the Basilica of Guadalupe in México City every December 12th.
Shysel Catalina Chona Galvai, a transwoman from Colombia living in México City, made the pilgrimage for the second time in 2019. She is pictured carrying a statue from her hometown. When asked about her relationship to the Virgin of Guadalupe she began her response with "for me it's something personal."
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