C& América Latina: When and why did you form Hermosa Intervención?
Hermosa Intervención: Hermosa Intervención came about in 2019, when Valeria Vega proposed working on a project with her colleague Lucía Martínez within the context of the commemoration of the Day of the Afro-Latina, Afro-Caribbean and Women of the African Diaspora, 25 July. Using body paint and photography, we represented five female orishas. In 2020, we designed a performance in homage to Mariquita and Encarnación, two enslaved women in 1880 Uruguay who sentenced to death for killing their abusive mistress. Following those two projects, we formalized the Hermosa Intervención collective because we realized it was necessary to continue intervening and telling Afro-women’s stories.
Their colleague Johanna came up with the name. “Hermosa” (Beautiful) refers to how we visualize ourselves as Black women in contrast to the fact that beauty is never associated with Black bodies. The word “intervención” (intervention) has to do with our projects, which are designed to take public spaces by surprise with our Black bodies.