Syracuse Sun

Viewing a photo from a 1950s travel brochure of a Caribbean beach might evoke thoughts of a tropical vacation. However, Cristina Pardo Porto, an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, argues that these images reveal deeper historical complexities. "They are part of a larger system of historical and ongoing inequalities," she states. These portrayals have been used to promote tourism while masking underlying cultural inequities.

Pardo Porto curated an exhibition titled "Joiri Minaya: Unseeing the Tropics at the Museum," on display at the SU Art Museum until May 10. She explains that exploitation in the Caribbean dates back to European colonization, where settlers depicted the region as exotic and fertile for extraction. “These narratives justified the exploitation of the land and its people,” says Pardo Porto, noting that contemporary tourism perpetuates similar fantasies through idyllic imagery.

The growth of hotels and resorts has led to environmental degradation and displacement of local communities. “Natural resources are privatized for resorts, and local workers are often paid low wages,” Pardo Porto notes.

The exhibition encourages visitors to critically examine images of tropical regions. It features works by Dominican American artist Joiri Minaya alongside historical photographs from the SU Art Museum’s collections. Each artwork includes explanatory wall text authored by Pardo Porto in English and Spanish.

Visitors can take postcards created by Minaya that challenge stereotypical tropical imagery imposed on women’s bodies. This artistic approach aims to confront harmful representations.

Minaya's work aligns with Pardo Porto's interest in Latin American photography history. She is writing a book titled “Latent Photographies: A Diasporic Reframing of the History of Photography.” The exhibition includes Minaya’s "Containers" series and her installation "#dominicanwomengooglesearch," which critiques sexualized poses associated with tropical identities.

Students in Pardo Porto’s classes will engage with Minaya's work through assignments tied to the exhibition, exploring dialogues between past and present images. “This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from an artist whose work is on campus,” she says.

Pardo Porto hopes visitors will understand how stereotypical images are embedded in visual culture. “My hope is that students, faculty, staff, and the local community will gain tools to see...and then actively ‘unsee’ them,” she concludes.