Julio Valdez

The title of my exhibition makes reference to the second line of the popular poem about the Dominican Republic "There is a Country in the World," by Pedro Mir.

Poetry and music have always nurtured my creative visual explorations. Reflecting on the sentiment, the general "mood" of this particular "national" poem, helps me to ground the subject matter in a more open, universal dialogue with the viewer, while remaining true to my cultural heritage.

________


There is a country in the world
situated
right in the sun's path.
A native of the night.

Situated
in an improbable archipelago
of sugar and alcohol.
Simply light,
like a bat's wing
leaning on the breeze.

Simply bright,
like the trace of a kiss on an elderly maiden
or daylight on the roof tiles.

Simply fruitful. Fluvial. And material.
And yet simply torrid, abused and kicked
like a young girl's hips.

Simply sad and oppressed.
Sincerely wild and uninhabited...

--Pedro Mir