The exhibition “Mundos paralelos” (Parallel Worlds) unites two distinct artists whose practices span photography, video, installation, and performance, yet emanate from different backgrounds. Yoanny Aldaya (b. 1984), born in Havana, Cuba, immigrated to the United States in 2024, while Heather Raquel Phillips (b. 1974), a mixed artist of Puerto Rican descent, grew up in the United States. Despite their disparate origins, both artists converge in their disruption of norms and cultivation of a safe space for difference and individuality.

Yoanny Aldaya’s contributions at the beginning of the gallery, “de este lado de la pared” (This Side of the Wall)—encompassing photographs, performance, and videos—probe freedom and personal identity within the context of political restriction. The works on view bridge his life in Cuba and his new existence in Philadelphia, blending past and present. Aldaya’s practice melds religious iconography, both formally and metaphorically, with an affinity for theatricality and self-hybridization. His art ultimately positions the body as a contested site where individual, social, political, and cultural identities are forged.

In contrast, Heather Raquel Phillips’s multilayered installation, “Path to Candyland,” incorporates video, painting, DIY set design, and banners to welcome viewers into a zone for self-care and healing. Dominated by vibrant pinks, sculptural lollipops, and a fantasy landscape, her work makes parallels between the trauma of the self and the exploitation of the island of Puerto Rico.  As many U.S. citizens are experiencing an increase in hostility and intolerance of difference, Puerto Rico continues to experience violence under colonial rule. Phillips’ work relies on collaboration, and in this spirit, the viewer is encouraged to interact with the installation to “finish” the work. Phillips’ work challenges social constructs that encourage us to limit ourselves, disregard our intuition, and conform to societal norms. In turn, she encourages unapologetic self-expression through displays of joy that transcend societal standards.

By juxtaposing these two artists, “Mundos paralelos” reveals parallel investigations into theatricality, subversion, and intersectional politics, treating bodily presence and environmental context as critical battlegrounds in the ongoing formation of identity.