Danny Aros-Aguilar
Sandunga Nunca Muere
2022 En Foco Fellowship Exhibition
Nov 2 - Dec 2, 2023
My work reflects the cultural complexity and gender queerness of my authentic self. I am biased toward the stories of those who have lived parallel experiences. Chronicles of displacement have led me to New York, where I now attempt to bear roots thousands of miles from where I was born. My queerness is the language that allows me to live a most fulfilling life. Although some self-reflective work may resurface pain, most of my image-making is created to celebrate, highlight, and leave a print of brown queerness in history.
Sandunga Nunca Muere came from a collaboration between my friends in Oaxaca, Mexico, and myself. The images were derived from conversations we had about the misinterpretation of being Muxe, and what it actually is like being third gender. Juchitan, the cradle of the Muxeidad, is not a paradise for the gender non-conforming. Like some other distant parts of the world, queerness in Oaxaca has been tolerated historically while being kept marginalized, oppressed, and persecuted. Limitations are set by families who navigate life using Christianized customs and traditions of morality. The latest generations of Muxes seek to hold on to certain traditions while fighting for equal rights and against femicide. Reclaiming their identity in a pre-colonized history. Queerness has always and will always be present in humanity.
Danny Aros-Aguilar (Colombian American, b. 1991, they/them/theirs) is a non-binary artist born in Colombia, now based in Harlem. Danny grew up in Florida, where their family immigrated seeking asylum. Following their graduation from high school, Danny transferred to BMCC in Manhattan. After leaving college without a degree, Danny began assisting photographer Mike Ruiz. Aros-Aguilar later started producing commercial and editorial work for Rachel Elliston Photographers. Danny has shown at The Untitled Space, On The Fringe, Photoville, Humble Arts Foundation, and Wallworks in New York. As well as internationally at the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art in Korea and The British Journal of Photography. Their work has been featured in American Photography, Nueva Luz, Fotofilmic, Aint-Bad, Sensored, and Maake magazines. As well as digitally by InStyle, American and Italian Vogue, and the MoMA in New York. Danny currently holds a residency at the BxArts Factory and is a recipient of the EnFoco Photography Fellowship, 2022. The same year, Aros-Aguliar received the American Photographic Artists D.C. Chapter LGBTQIA+ Grant for their series Sandunga Nunca Muere.
En Foco, Inc. is a non-profit that supports U.S. based photographers of African, Asian, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander heritage. Founded in 1974, En Foco makes their work visible to the art world, yet remains accessible to under-served communities. Through exhibitions, workshops, events, and publications, it provides professional recognition, honoraria, and assistance to photographers as they grow into different stages of their careers.