Love in Acceptance
Ruby Longoria Explores Identity
Ruby Longoria, a San Antonio-based artist, caught my attention when she posted a virtual exhibit on Instagram. During times like these, I’m especially appreciative of the internet and its ability to bring us into contact with creative expression we’d never encounter in “real life.”
Although there’s nothing quite like interacting with art in person, I’ve found this virtual engagement has helped to relieve my creative cravings, bringing me a bit closer to my humanity in those moments when it feels like it’s slipping away.
I’ve always enjoyed photography but typically find I don’t quite “get” it, as though the lack of words prevents me from grasping a true understanding of an image. But every once and a while, a work strikes my soul, granting me clarity I’d previously thought unattainable.
Ruby’s photography seems to examine the interconnected nature of identity and the ways in which we’re informed and shaped by our family, surroundings, and the stories we share.
Scrolling through the images of her most recent work, “It’s A Long, Long Song,” I’m touched by the intimacy captured in the images.
Most of them are of her mother, a woman who doesn’t shy away from the camera, and in her boldness, reveals more than she seems aware of.
There’s a rawness, an honesty in Ruby’s representation of the physical manifestations reflective of her upbringing, and in-turn, her.
The photo “Mom’s Chanclas,” at first glance, seems to simply be sandals juxtaposed against a rug. But with each passing moment of viewing, something else emerges:
a sense of longing, a seeking of balance that is found but then lost, a pulling back of the curtain to moments we often ignore, take for granted, label as insignificant.
But what struck me most is the love in Ruby’s photographs, love in the form of unflinching acceptance. The type that welcomes us into the crevices of existence we often attempt to hide from or polish.
During times like these, I’m grateful for artists like her who don’t stray from the seemingly messy or unrefined aspects of life, instead imbuing them with value, respect and dare I say, admiration.
