The Defamation of Humanity Painting

Painted in oils in loose expressive brushstrokes, Zuluaga depicts bound bodies - often her own - in the nude, both as fragments and as a whole. The tension of bindings struggling against distorted human flesh rendered in vibrant colors creates stark visual contrasts and a feeling of unease in the viewer. Zuluaga seeks to represent non-tangible concepts with literal tools; the bodily subjugation alludes to invisible systems of oppression and control, challenging the viewer to question and examine their own moral tenets and limiting paradigms. Infused with an aggressive spirit of rebellion, her work explores facets of societal conditioning (wether psychological, physical or cultural) in order to open the doors to deeper conversations around gender, sexuality and identity, while at the same time questioning contemporary beauty standards and aesthetics. Zuluaga lives and works in Florence.