The Brooklyn Rail

The improbable makes the real comprehensible and the imaginary possible. It is part of our journey in creating art, where what is perceived as sacred or sublime takes shape in the material. In a world where gods, religions, and male-dominated institutions have consistently failed to deliver justice and sustainability, would a goddess—bound by similar hierarchical structures—truly offer the possibility of a better future? Perhaps the time has come to reimagine divinity altogether, to dismantle traditional hierarchies of power and spirituality, and to embrace a more inclusive, horizontal, and naturalist model of the divine.

The concept of a goddess has often been romanticized as a source of hope and healing—a maternal figure embodying fertility, protection, and abundance. But this idealized image is not immune to the patriarchal and hierarchical structures that have historically marginalized women and nature. How might we reimagine the goddess to challenge these limitations? What if the goddess were not a mythical figure, but a reflection of human potential in action? Could she transcend the symbolic, becoming a collective force embodied by the leaders of our time—environmental advocates, peacebuilders, and innovators working toward equity and sustainability? Such a reimagining challenges the notion of divinity as an external savior, replacing it with a communal and interconnected force rooted in action and accountability.

 

A Collective Force of Transformation

Recent political events have revealed society’s reluctance to trust women in positions of power. This rejection, perpetuated by both men and women, underscores the deeply ingrained biases that continue to influence decision-making. However, I still believe in the transformative power of aligned women working together, nurturing collective resilience to address the most pressing challenges of our time.

To reimagine the goddess is to strip away hierarchical and matriarchal structures entirely. She is not a superior entity but part of a fluid, communal body that reflects the interconnectedness of nature, humanity, and the cosmos. This vision also sets aside the binaries that have constrained historical and cultural thinking about gender, power, and spirituality.

This reimagining would demand the development of ecological consciousness, compelling us to rethink our social relationships with nature and recognize the delicate balance required for human survival within a thriving ecosystem. The climate crisis has exposed the inadequacies of anthropocentric and hierarchical systems, emphasizing the urgent need for alternative perspectives on nature. In this context, the goddess can be re-imagined as a horizontal force—a shared, fluid entity that transcends boundaries. Such a vision moves beyond phallocentric and vaginocentric frameworks to embrace a naturalistic, gender-neutral divinity rooted in egalitarianism.

 

Nature as Divine

In this reimagined shape, nature itself becomes divine. The goddess is no longer a figure to be worshipped but an embodiment of the ecosystem—a network of fungi beneath the soil, the interwoven roots of trees, the molten rivers of lava beneath the earth’s crust, and the flowing bodies of water that evaporate into clouds to rain again on the earth.

To challenge traditional representations of the goddess, we must embrace her as a boundary-defying figure. She is no longer the angelic mother, the virgin, or the fairy, but a dynamic, multifaceted presence. She could be as strong and rooted as a tree, as transformative as a volcanic eruption, or as dispersed as the spores of a fern. She might embody the erotic power of life itself or take the form of an alien or cosmic being, removed from all human-centric definitions.

In the pursuit of a naturalist idea of society, we confront moralized and empathic sentiments: how do we figure out what we should care about? These questions are not just intellectual exercises but urgent imperatives in the face of climate change and social inequality. In this vision, the goddess is neither a savior nor an omnipotent figure but a network—a connective tissue binding humanity, a reflection of our collective potential.

 

Art as a Tool for Reimagining a Fluid Divinity

As a transnational artist, my work explores these concepts of horizontal divinity through speculative multicultural narratives and gender-fluid human-fauna-flora hybrid forms. My project, “The Forest of Probable Women” (2024), envisions individuals as symbionts—organisms living in mutual relationships—to challenge anthropocentrism and advocate for interspecies cooperation. Through sculpture, painting, and multimedia installations, I reinterpret symbols from Mesoamerican mythology and feminist philosophy, creating a dialogue between ancient traditions and contemporary concerns.

The tree is a recurring motif in my work, representing cosmic balance and the interconnectedness of life. In Mesoamerican cosmology, trees symbolized cosmic balance, uniting terrestrial and celestial realms. Their branches represented hands; their bark, skin; and their trunks, the human torso. Sacred trees anchored the universe, embodying dualities such as life and death, masculine and feminine, and light and darkness.

My sculptures and paintings, often crafted from reclaimed wood, transform these ancient metaphors into contemporary expressions to critique anthropocentric narratives and celebrate the feminine as a force of ecological consciousness and cosmic harmony.

In “Floresta Codex” (2024), I draw upon pre-Hispanic codices to create Las Mujeres Árbol (The Women Trees)—hybrid figures that blend feminine forms with natural elements. These figures challenge traditional representations of women and nature, transforming them into symbols of resilience and symbiosis.

For example, my sculpture The Birth of Venus reimagines the goddess as a hybrid form made with reclaimed wood representing both the earth and the sky filled with rising stars. This anthropomorphic figure, with polychromed tree-branch legs, roots to the earth while her breasts-as-eyes stretch toward the cosmos. This imagery speaks to the dual principles of grounding and transcendence acknowledging birth and life cycles.

 

Toward a De-Hierarchized Inter-Divinity

The goddess of the future is a mirror—a reflection of our collective power to nurture, sustain, and transform. This de-hierarchized inter-divinity invites us to rethink our relationship with nature and each other. By doing so, we can create a world that values balance, cooperation, and the sacredness of all life—a world where divinity is not an external force but an intrinsic part of our collective existence, a symbol of hope, resilience, and unity in a world in need of healing.

As an interdisciplinary artist, I aim to create work that bridges history, myth, and the present. Whether through the tree as a symbol of cosmic balance, butterflies as metaphors for resilience, or hybrid forms that challenge traditional notions of femininity, my art seeks to inspire a realignment of priorities. It calls for a redefinition of home within the shifting landscapes and possibilities of a world in constant mobility. It envisions a shift from hierarchy to harmony, from anthropocentrism to multispecies interdependence, nurturing a future that values balance, cooperation, and the sacredness of all life.