Currently based in Beacon, New York, Ecuadorian-Italian artist Athena Torri immigrated to the United States in 2000. In their series, “Between Mountains, Valleys,” Torri grapples with their personal narrative within the Ecuadorian Andes, explaining that the work highlights “a history of colonization that manifests in both the nation of Ecuador and in myself as a mixed-race, queer, and non-binary person.” Engaging with Andean folklore to examine themes of gender, sexuality, and race in postcolonial South America, Torri’s images depict the collision of the sacred and mundane worlds in everyday postcolonial life.

See more from “Between Mountains, Valleys” below!