Rosy Torres

In The Fifth Mountain, Paulo Cohelo writes about the spiritual quest of Elijah. Elijah explains to his stepson that everyday is like a nightmare, and every night we go to sleep hoping to wake up to a gentler dream. The Jungian idea of the collective unconscious contains forms or symbols that are manifested by all people in all cultures. The objective of this show is to be a visual testimony of the unconsciousness.
When I selected my work for “A Collective Dream of God” I saw each picture as a snapshot of one of my interpretations of the unconsciousness. Each snap shot has its own life, and is also an expression of the greater whole. The subjects are from many different places- Chicago to Chiapas, and movements- from recent marches to photo biographies of political exiles. Most of all, this exhibit is about humanity, how individually we are all portraits of the ultimate.

Rosy is a 23-year-old first generation Chicana, Artist, Photographer, Poet, Activist, Mystic. Her story begins in her 15-year-old mother’s womb and her juvenile father’s release from jail. She grew up learning the life of a gypsy and a hustler and observing how machismo consumed her mother’s strength, but not her will. She learned that the odds weren’t always against them, that domestic violence, alcoholism and drug abuse ultimately informed who she became as an artist. Her goal is to “plant the learning seeds of consciousness around the ghetto edens.”- Miguel Pinero.
After studying at Marwen from ’97 to ‘00 and painting at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago, she began framing art at a frame shop. There she also started to frame the world around her through photos. In 2002, she took her first trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, which marked the beginning of a new spiritual consciousness. When Rosy returned, she attended Harold Washington College, took courses in cultural anthropology and photography. She started to involve herself in community organizing, drum circles, and Native ceremonies. Eventually these spiritual elements fused into the philosophy of Zaptismo and a belief in the fight to witness hope in all people.
Rosy has awoken to appreciate all encounters of life and has a burning desire to expose truth through her lens. Pilsen is her home, her community and her artistic foundation. She believes being in Chicago in this moment is no accident.