For New York-based painter Mónica Hernández, Caribbean art means much more than being circumscribed as novelty. For the Dominican Republican native, the diaspora defines her heritage and Hernández has taken it upon herself to change the way her community’s artistic oeuvre is perceived. By unabashedly depicting women’s bodies in their natural state, her paintings possess a duality: expanding the female gaze while introspectively exploring womanhood through provocative portraiture. Through her work, Hernández provides an intimate view into struggles she experiences navigating the world as it relates to her own culture.
In Hernández’s paintings, a power emanates outward from the canvas, encouraging viewers to acknowledge their own strengths — something she’s had to do herself. As a boundary pusher for societal standards of how a woman should "be" or look, she becomes the first inductee into Reebok’s Club C, a collective of like-minded creatives who are defying the status quo. Thanks to her bold and unexpected exploits, she’s been named the Director of Design, applauding her prowess and personality, and inviting others to take a cue from the painter and tap into their own potential to create without limits.
Stay tuned to HYPEBEAST for the next inductee into Club C and head to Reebok’s website to enter for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to celebrate the new campaign.