Life Interwoven: A Night of Stories, Memory, and Community at En Foco
The space at En Foco Inc. may be small, but it’s incredibly intimate, perfect for a show like this. The room felt alive, filled with stories woven together through memory, family, and lived experience. Standing against the beautiful mosaic on the wall across from the artists’ work, I could hear layers of conversation around me: stories of old memories, history, time that’s passed, places that have changed, and hearts that have grown fuller because of it.
There’s a real vulnerability in telling your own story, but an even deeper one when you start digging into family, lineage, and personal history. The people you thought you knew, the places you only vaguely remember, they gain new meaning. Many of the artists’ families were also in attendance, which made the experience feel even more powerful. It wasn’t just individual vulnerability; it was vulnerability held collectively.
I’m grateful I got to hear the stories of my creative peers, to understand them more deeply, to learn about their process, and to witness their journeys into the past as they carry those histories into the future. It was grounding, something that made me think about my own archives, my own family history, and the stories I hold.
Thank you to all the artists who created such beautiful work and shared their stories with us. Each artist’s name is linked below so you can explore their projects more deeply.
Legacy Lab: Life Interwoven is En Foco’s newest exhibition, and it beautifully brings together the work of artists Lola Flash and Groana Melendez with personal family archives from Bronx community members who joined this summer’s Legacy Lab workshops at the BxArts Factory. The show highlights work and archival materials from Daniel Aros-Aguilar, Yeline Del Carmen, Evelyn Martinez, Alexis Marie Montoya, Joshua Poyer, Sofie Vasquez, and Felicia Wilson, each adding their own stories to a collective memory of the Bronx.
Curated by Valarie Irrizary and Oscar J. Rivera, the exhibition celebrates community archiving, storytelling, and the ways our histories intertwine. It’s on view at Pregones Theater (575 Walton Ave, Bronx) from November 13, 2025, through February 20, 2026. The opening reception requires an RSVP, and weekday viewing is available by appointment only.
