Rivera (she/ella/elle) is a French-Peruvian photographer, entrepreneur, and fashion-icon based in Paris, dedicated towards creating spaces for the Latinx/o community in the Parisian region and beyond. Often using herself as the subject of her own vision, her unique style consists of adornments of traditional Peruvian patterns and colors, gold and organic jewelry, and the sacred importance of hair. Claudia has ignited a fire with projects such as, “Sabor Latino Month” (October 2023), a month-long series of events where waves of Latinx/os gathered to embrace their cultural roots through food, music, dance, and shared artistry. The young entrepreneur has collaborated with major brands such as Adidas Paris and been featured in many articles about her practice such as the LA Times.
Photos have become the new pen and paper for contemporary artists, capturing the sketch of an idea that fits conveniently in our hand or pocket.
Writer’s Commentary
There are many Latinx artists who use the accessible digital photograph to be part of their bigger artwork, whether the medium is ink on paper, paint on canvas, or even sculptures. Photos have become the new pen and paper for contemporary artists, capturing the sketch of an idea that fits conveniently in our hand or pocket. This idea is shown in Claudia Rivera’s work, interlacing both photography and fibers to create an entirely new form of expressionism altogether. According to Rivera, her many visits to Peru, as early as five-years old, allowed her to build a relationship with her roots through the lens of a camera, bringing back the colors of su madre tierra (her motherland) back to France with her.
In an interview with the LA Times, she expresses the importance of what she wears and how her hair is precious to her as a Latinx/a in Europe. She mentions how one’s identity can be powerfully expressed in what we wear, and in France, expressing your Latinidad through fashion can be hard to come by. The artist’s passion for cultural accessibility turns towards the cultural visibility for Latinx/os in Paris. Rivera’s photographic series, “Ñañaykuna”(2022), meaning “Sisters” in Quechua, is a portraiture project consisting of Latinx/a femmes, posed and dressed as a reflection of sus culturas mixtas (their mixed cultures). Claudia publicly states that Latinx/os are present and living in European regions like Paris and the time is now for voicing their Latinx/o pride.
Claudia Rivera, holds a degree in Political science from Université Paris Nanterre, basing her thesis on a year-long research of the Andes people. It is also noted that her paternal-origins are rooted in the Huanca people of the Sierra region.
If you’d like to explore more of Rivera’s work please check out their IG: @crocoqueen.
Disclaimer: All images have been taken directly from the artist’s social media page and are the artistic property of the individuals who captured them.
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