Today we’d like to introduce you to Sofía Figueroa.
Sofía, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
From the moment I recreated the birth of Jesus Christ for Christmas in my grandpa’s living room, to the moment I created the string of life playing a mythological goddess in a New York theater production, I always knew I wanted to be a performer. I was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela but never really lived there as shortly after I became a nomad. Moving every two to three years around Latin America, I quickly fell in love with different cultures, religions, races and backgrounds. I lived in Brazil, Guatemala, Panama and now I live in the US.
I don’t remember the exact moment I started acting but I do remember being very young and sitting my entire family in the living room during Christmas to perform, with my cousins, the birth of Jesus Christ. I remember the joy I felt pretending I was in this magical world where I was able to take everyone into my imagination. At school, I was in the drama club and was part of every school play. I even remember going to a Central American acting competition where my school won and I got first place in the monologue performances. I knew there was no other path for me than in the arts. I auditioned for New York University and have been professionally acting ever since.
I pursued a double major and graduated with a BFA in Acting and a BA in Political Science. I had this quiet dream that, with my political science degree, I would one day return to Venezuela to restore the country, but every day I feel more and more distanced from that dream. I used what I learned in my politics classes to become an activist and merge that knowledge with my theater background. I wanted my art to be about creating community and social change.
After graduating from NYU, I embarked into the theater world in New York and have been acting in theater productions and in stand up comedy shows. I did experience trouble finding roles and my place in the entertainment industry as I felt opportunities were not the same for me as they were for my friends from my same graduating class. After the show, Veinticinco closed in March 2020, I decided to work on a personal project that would include international artists like myself to showcase their art. I was so enthusiastic about creating community and space for my immigrant, Latina voice to unite with other international voices that I called this project HOME. I planned for HOME to be a one day show in the heart of Williamsburg that would include multidisciplinary artists from different nationalities and backgrounds in order to elevate and amplify their voices in a day filled with passion and art. I specifically made the show for OPT and O-1 artists, which are the legal statuses for international, noncitizen artists, to be seen, cherished, heard and understood.
Because I moved so much throughout my childhood, I never had a place I could call home. Home for me was a combination of memories, food, music and wherever my parents were located in the world. Today, New York is home for me. I’ve grown roots here as a performer, artist and activist. This project has shifted a lot due to COVID19 but it is still active and running. HOME is my most recent project and one I’m really proud of!
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh, no! Not at all. Since the conception of this idea, I’ve needed a lot of help and orientation from friends and gallery organizers as well as changing everything into a new show because of COVID19. There have been many struggles in this journey. Given that I wanted HOME to include so many mediums, visual art in the form of 2D and 3D and performances in theater and dance, I needed to get familiarized with them and find the best way to exhibit the work. I reached out to many friends and curators around New York City and took notes. I learned a lot about what I needed in order to organize a show of this magnitude, one of them being rental space. I wanted to find a location that would be big enough so that I could execute every detail in my mind while still making it affordable for myself. I have never intended to charge the artists to participate in the show, nor do I have any intention to change that. In a very unexpected turn of events, I got contacted by a studio called Mi Casa (which literally translates to “my house”; very on theme) to collaborate with them. I thought, what a better place to hold my show HOME, than in a warehouse owned by people that understand the immigrant experience.
Once I thought I had it all figured out, New York went on lockdown on March 20th. Two things artists need: rehearsals and mass gatherings and these quickly became impossible. I thought about postponing the show until the end of the year but I wasn’t ready to give up. The artists in their OPT that wanted to apply for the artist visa, and the artists in their O-1 who have to reapply, needed this for their visa portfolio and I was not going to let them down.
I decided I would say goodbye to my original idea and make HOME a digital platform for international, non-citizen artists. This meant I would upload submissions on a weekly basis until the first week of June, making HOME a global show. This community would now be seen, appreciated and heard by anyone with the website address. This has definitely been a positive way I’ve decided to see this new era. I’m so grateful to have met so many artists from around the world that are just like me but have such intricate stories and experiences that have landed them too in the US. COVID19 has undoubtedly been the biggest struggle in my journey.
We’d love to hear more about HOME.
HOME is a digital platform that will be showcasing multimedia work made by immigrants pursuing artistic opportunities in the United States. HOME aims to give artists across different nationalities and mediums a space to express themselves in a country of opportunity, during a time when opportunities feel like they’re growing increasingly sparse. Being a non-citizen is often a difficult limitation for people in creative fields more than in others. HOME aims to create a community, a safe space that honors and exhibits the multiple talents of the people that constitute America’s diversity. HOME welcomes submissions from artists who have come to this country from all parts of the world. We hope to create a symbolic shelter for those who, in some way or another, recognize this land as a HOME. Through this digital platform that will run until the first week of June, we want to show the world that we, the quirky, brave, talented, aliens of America, have a voice that itches to be heard.
The United States immigration policies make it increasingly difficult for international artists to establish themselves within the country. For many young artists, not having citizenship means that opportunities are constantly dwindling. HOME looks to build a space where opportunities are equal, and not lesser for us by creating an environment where international creatives are not only welcome but encouraged to exist, speak and manifest their differences. The event will provide a platform for immigrants to create freely, to stand up for themselves and their art, to make use of their talent in a meaningful way. At HOME, we will be able to breathe, to exist outside of the limitations that so often paralyze those of us trying to survive in a social and political environment that easily makes us feel unwelcome.
What sets HOME apart from other shows is its vast array of artistic mediums. It’s not only an art gallery but it’s also an exhibit, performance and show. At the end of the day, what we are trying to accomplish is professional, but also symbolic. HOME would be a glimpse into the world of opportunity that immigrants could easily have access to if only they were considered as equals in this country. This event, and this initiative, brings us one step closer to that equality.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next 5-10 years, I would love to have HOME be a family/community of artists that would present their art every year or twice a year. I would love it if the people participating could become mentors and/or collaborators with each other. The most important thing is that I pray for HOME to continue to invite the immigrant community to have a family in the US. Hopefully, by then, there will be more inclusion and representation in the entertainment industry and we will feel more empowered and supported to speak up. The same way I’ve been open to molding and adapting the original idea of HOME into something different, I would be happy to do that again as the world keeps changing, evolving and transforming.
Contact Info:
- Website: homeartexpo.com
- Email: info@homeartexpo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeartexpo/
Image Credit:
Corey Rives
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