Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion on the work of Firelei Báez, a Dominican American artist whose versatile practice reimagines histories, particularly those of Latin America and the Caribbean. Through her complex visual language, Báez challenges colonial narratives, explores diasporic identities and reclaims spaces for voices often excluded from dominant historical accounts.

Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery – Courtroom (750 Hornby Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H7)

Moderated by art historian Miret Rodríguez, this conversation will bring together Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda, Coral Santana and Lili Vieira de Carvalho to reflect on the transformative power of Báez’s art. 

Rodríguez will guide the discussion, offering insights into Báez’s symbolic references, artistic techniques and her engagement with decolonial thought. 

Art historian and Latin American feminist art scholar Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda will discuss the ongoing underrepresentation of Latin American women artists in Canada. She will also share insights from her research on Latin American feminist artists and her forthcoming co-edited book on contemporary Latina/x artists and filmmakers in Canada. 

Afro-Latina writer, producer and activist Coral Santana will explore how Báez’s work intersects with contemporary social movements and resonates with struggles for racial and gender justice across the Americas. 

And Lili Vieira de Carvalho, a leading advocate for Latin American artists in Vancouver, will discuss the increasing visibility of Latinx artists in the city and the systems that support—or hinder—their recognition. 

This panel will explore how Báez’s work navigates themes of race, gender, migration and resistance, offering new perspectives on the layered histories that shape Latin America, the Caribbean and cities like Vancouver, where questions of representation and inclusion are central to the cultural conversation. 

This talk is free and open to the public.

Please note that tickets for this event do not include admission to the Gallery. 

About the facilitator and panelists

Dr. Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda is a Mexican Canadian interdisciplinary artist and cultural historian, specializing in media art history in the Americas. She is an Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University, where she leads the critical Media Arts Studio (cMAS), an interdisciplinary research-creation space exploring the intersections of technology, identity and feminist theory. Author of Women Made Visible: Feminist Art and Media in Post-1968 Mexico (CALACS Book Prize, 2020), Aceves Sepúlveda has published extensively on feminist media art, archival practices, sound, race and gender. Her video and sculptural installations have been exhibited internationally. She is an active member of Vancouver’s art community, part of the art/mamas collective and has served on boards of artist-run centers such as VIVO Media Arts. Currently, she is working on a book about Latin American women composers and co-editing volumes on immersive technologies in the global south and Latin American art in Canada. 

Miret Rodríguez is the creative director of Curated Tastes and the former Vice President of the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre (VLACC). She holds an MBA in art and culture management from the Superior School of Commerce in Paris and a BA Major in Art History from University of British Columbia. Rodríguez relies on art and the artists that make it to navigate through cultural dislocation and hybridity. Since 2020, Rodríguez has been interviewing Latinx artists in Canada about their immigration stories and how they express their experiences through art. These conversations led her to curate Volver (to return, to become) in 2022 at Cityscape Community Artspace in North Vancouver. 

Coral Santana is an Afro-Dominican storyteller, community organizer and equity consultant based in Vancouver, BC. They have developed cultural programming focused on exploring Blackness, Queerness and Latinidad for various organizations, including the Museum of Anthropology and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Santana holds a BA in Film Studies with a minor in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. 

Lili Vieira de Carvalho is the Executive Director of the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre (VLACC), where she is also a co-founder and former Vice President. Originally from Brazil, Vieira de Carvalho immigrated to Vancouver in 2008 and brings over 30 years of experience in arts management. She led VLACC’s capacity-building initiatives, significantly improving fundraising, strategic planning, governance and volunteer recruitment and retention. Vieira de Carvalho also serves as spokesperson for the Citizen Council of the Consulate General of Brazil in Vancouver. Recently, the Government of Brazil honoured her with the Ordem do Rio Branco medal for her leadership within the Brazilian diaspora. Her commitment to the arts community has driven her to develop projects that foster a deeper understanding of Latin American culture, actively challenge stereotypes and promote cultural awareness. 

Co-presented with the Vancouver Art Gallery and Curated Tastes