With the internet being so easy to access, it has become easier for independent artists to find an audience and let their work be known. As a result, a variety of movements, collectives and scenes have found a way to pave their way. The independent art scene in Puerto Rico is no different. Recently, a variety of artists from a variety of disciplines have found platforms that have made it easier for them to share their work. In addition, small businesses such as Electroshock in Santurce and Rio Piedras, bars like Off The Wall in Mayagüez, and libraries like La Casita Books and Gifts in Aguadilla, have provided up-and-coming artists a space for them to display their talents. “Puerto Rican Women Killing It in the Independent Art Scene” are interviews which provide a glimpse at a few of the women who are making their way in said movement. Though the artists were asked similar questions, some were asked queries focused specifically on their work.
Elisaura Vázquez Ayala is a published poet, spoken word performer, musician, and member of the fusion group Bajo La Luna who loves nature, traveling, learning, and enjoying the people she loves and admires. After studying social work, Vázquez Ayala has managed to bring the limits and injustices she finds in her surroundings into her art. While poetry has a special place in her heart, there are other art forms and mediums she pursues. The following interview was conducted online.
(picture provided by Vázquez Ayala)
How did you develop your style and how has it evolved through the years?
I was raised very much loved by my grandmothers. My paternal grandmother, Daysi Rodríguez, loved literature and poetry. She lived surrounded by books. It was beautiful! She wrote poetry and performed with perfect diction, so much so that I thought everybody would do the same. My grandmother, besides being a teacher and librarian, didn’t take the time to educate me in the field. She would tell me stories of yesteryear and it made a difference in me. Eventually, I would perform in school and other cultural activities I was invited to, and won a few poetry and fictions contests, which inspired me to continue. When I started studying in UPR Río Piedras, I discovered a few open mic events in San Juan. Lady Lee Andrews, owner of Poet’s Passage, Luis Días of Intifada and Guillermo Rebollo-Gil were a few who would organize some of these while Fenny Colón and Raúl Moris would direct them. After graduating from my masters in social work, I came to the west looking for Sun and beaches and I found open mic events organized by Professor Alberto Martínez in Aguada and Aguadila. Meanwhile, I would organize a few in Cabo Rojo and Hormigueros. After doing all this, I found security and expanded possibilities I never even considered. Now I’m addicted to challenging myself. I like to perform alongside artists I find around the streets whenever I travel. Butterflies are always in my stomach.
I’ve seen your work is highly influenced by bossa nova, bomba, spoken word, and other Latin sounds. How did this happen?
Bomba and its percussion have always been with me, but it was in Mayagüez where I decided to practice it, mixing that percussion into my spoken word performance. Getting to know the singer/songwriter Iliana Vázquez is one of the most beautiful gifts bomba has given me. In 2009 we started a beautiful artistic collaboration, with her I’ve managed to bring music to my poetry and give them cadence bringing a new level of creativity. In 2010, I was presenting my first poetry book Mi amor negro alongside Iliana and masters of San Juan Bomba like Jerry Ferrao and Ivan Dávila. My other influences can be found in the group Bajo la luna where I work with vocalists and composers Alexandra Muñiz, Iliana Vázquez, Miguel Duprey and Gilberto Nieves, which is inspired by a variety of influences and poetry. Being alongside creative and brave women has been an injection of adrenaline. On May 12th we will have our first concert with new musical and poetic compositions.
(Vázquez Ayala performing)
What do you think about the current state of the arts in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico is a tropical island where we are impacted by sweet and intense flavors, diverse colors, heating sun, salt water, and exuberant nature. All of this plays into the the state of art in Puerto Rico. There’s art everywhere. You can breathe and sweat art in all its forms. Art constantly evolves, we fuse with one another, we keep each other alive and going. We as women find a powerful voice in the arts, one that protects us and with which we can protect others.
What do you think about the current state of the independent scene in Puerto Rico?
Living under colonialism which is constantly oppressing us, we resist through art, just like every other space. You can find it in the colors, food, music, and poetry. You can find it in the flag of every municipality, in the murals across Santurce, Arecibo and Ponce, the colorful houses in the marginalized communities, and the poetry nights which bring together unhappy people of all ages. You can find it in the music found in every protest where they look for a better independent life. The artisans tell us that, aside from mass production and capitalism, we have the capacity to create our own spaces and fill them up with our own identity, instead of the one imposed on us. In the scene, we find those who don’t know how to ask for permission and execute with the soul. Every day you can find more and with more success. Our musical tradition is born independently, eventually it gains momentum and gets absorbed by record labels who distort that essence.
(Vázquez Ayala performing alongside Bajo La Luna)
Is there any other form of art you wish to pursue? If so, what field and why?
I love photography, images impact me. I also love the work of artisans. I love delving into the arts, but I get distracted easily. Playing the bomba drum has been a constant though, as I have a beautiful relationship with that instrument.
If a young girl came up to you and said she wanted to be an artist, what would be your advice for her?
They should all develop a form of artistic expression and that will give them a new life. If they have another professional interest, they can do it with a new perspective because, who wants more of the same? We can only be unique if we manifest ourselves in a genuine and honest fashion, just how we are like a profound poem, a self-portrait, a melody that can always get better. However, expressing yourself through art is one thing and being an artist is another, which conveys experimenting the limits and perfecting the medium you choose while exposing and empowering yourself knowing that you’re being fragile. It has pros and cons. It conveys discipline and responsibility. Talent is just a part of being an artist.
(Vázquez Ayala alongside Bajo La Luna members Iliana Vázquez and Alexandra Muñiz)
What do you seek to achieve with art?
I’ve performed spoken word participating alongside the incredible collective Ovejas Negras with whom I traveled to the USA to present our work to the Puerto Rican community. We’ve performed in schools, communities, and the jail Las Cucharas in Ponce in more than one occasion. I’ve taken my voice and poetry towards activism because I have to provide something more than just rhymes. My message brings forth self liberation and justice. My education, the love for the land, my experiences, and poetry are the best resources that I have to do this. Seeing youth and women get inspired to write and express themselves after providing a workshop to people who have suffered from domestic violence was a magical experience. I want that magic for everyone. I want everyone to feel like they don’t need permission to express themselves. Whether people like it or not is another conversation but this shouldn’t keep you down or anything. Academia gives structure, parameters, defines, brings techniques and information, but without the people, the scene would be empty.
What is your biggest goal right now?
My short term goals are to publish the second edition of my first poetry book, Mi amor negro, which was well received. However, since there were little copies, it sold fast. I am also organizing presentations for my children’s book, El árbol revolucionario, which is focused on environmental protection. Meanwhile, I am selecting poems for my second poetry book. I am really not into publishing. My main goal is to travel as a poet, fusion, and have fun with everything I do. I want to create with fascinating people and be out in the streets and experience the world.
All the pictures in this interview were provided by the artist or found in Bajo La Luna’s Facebook page.