Leslie Jiménez: It is Here | It is Now | I Am

It is Here | It is Now | I Am considers everyday happenings in the public spaces of Washington Heights and surrounding neighborhoods as moments of heroism. The artist Leslie Jiménez has created intricate thread works on semi-transparent paper as part of the ongoing series, Uptown Humble Heroes that imbues seemingly mundane actions with multilayered significance. Her unconventional use of thread blurs the division between historically considered feminine craft, such as embroidery or sewing, with the “high art” of painting and sculpture. The overlapping thread builds a three-dimensional sense of movement and reflects the transient nature of the scenes in Uptown Humble Heroes.

Jiménez has long been interested in the disconnect between the development of the self, versus societal expectations of what girlhood and womanhood should be. In works such as It is Now. Dreaming about Flying a young child runs with balloons trailing behind. The whimsical scene reflects the uninhibited nature of childhood that can be hindered by outside forces. Many of the heroic tasks within the series are related to supporting children, and remaining present in the role of a parent.  

The location of the Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion within Washington Heights situates the building within the hub of human interactions depicted in Uptown Humble Heroes. People push children in strollers, carry umbrellas on rainy afternoons, or wait for the bus in a sunhat. Jiménez views It is Here | It is Now | I Am as an extension of the neighborhood and the moments within it.