This piece is part of a series of “anti-portraits” – unidentified subjects with their
backs to the viewer. In this series, Huerta highlights the absurdity of racial profiling. The viewer unconsciously navigates the absence of information in the piece to construct an identity based on oppressive systems (i.e., black, cisgendered, straight, man). Yet, all we have is a neck, a head, ears, and the color of their skin. The relationship in color, value, shadow, and composition creates an abstract abundance of negative space. Through this tension between what is known and what is not, the subject faces a new direction, a sense of being rather than identity.

Description written by Cori Schaffer, 2025.