La Eskarlet
colored pencil on dyed paper
8 inches x 11 inches
Website: www.jarangopalacios.com
Instagram: @juuuanitx
About | Juan Arango Palacios was born in Pereira, Colombia, and was raised in a traditional Catholic home. Their traditional upbringing was cut short by a series of migrations that their family took seeking a better future. The family moved from Colombia to southern Louisiana where Juan’s sense of identity and belonging began to be skewed by their lack of knowledge of the English language, their unfamiliarity with American culture, and their internal struggle with a queer identity. Living in other parts of Louisiana and Texas, and being further subdued by the conservative culture in which they lived, Juan continued to live with a constant fear of their own identity throughout their youth. Juan currently studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has found a safe-haven within the queer community in Chicago.