About the Artist
Karla Ramirez-Santin is a multimedia artist, whose work inspects the complexity of being a woman/girl and how the negative effects of external expectations are a direct result of gender stereotypes. Ramirez-Santin was born in Toluca, Estado de México and immigrated with her family to the United States when she was a year and eight months old. She received her Associate of Arts in Art from Navarro College and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a Concentration in Drawing and Painting from the University of North Texas. Ramirez-Santin is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree at Texas Woman's University, where she is also teaching several studio art classes including: Drawing Foundations, Introduction to Painting, and Intermediate Painting as well as worked in the Digital Craft Lab. Ramirez-Santin has exhibited her artwork across the country, including New York City’s Gallery 524, SITE Santa Fe, Latino Cultural Center of Dallas, and Texas Vignette Art Fair. She is a recipient of the TWU Open Educational Practices Grant and multiple scholarships including the Marie Delleney Art Scholarship. She is a Cohort 5 Artist in Residence at the Cedars Union Art Incubator.
About the Exhibition
Hyphen Space presents a powerful solo exhibition by Karla Ramirez-Santin.
In Nos Cortaron las Alas y Aún Volamos, Karla Ramirez-Santin uses an intersectional lens to share stories of sacrifice, labor, and love from the perspective of first- and second-generation immigrants. Through a combination of collaboration and autobiographical storytelling, Ramirez-Santin humanizes these experiences, highlighting both shared threads and individual complexities, while juxtaposing them with the negative portrayals often found in mainstream media. The exhibition’s title draws from the Spanish phrase: “Me cortaste las alas” (“You cut off my wings”), a metaphor for having one’s dreams, aspirations, or freedom taken away. By shifting the subject to “Nos Cortaron las Alas” (“They cut off our wings”), Ramirez-Santin emphasizes collective struggle and resilience, culminating in the hopeful affirmation: “y Aún Volamos” (“and yet we fly”). With this work, Ramirez-Santin aims to help immigrant families feel seen, heard, and comforted amid today’s terrifying and unpredictable political climate. The exhibition reminds viewers that regardless of citizenship status, we all seek and deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
From November 1st to December 31st, Hyphen Space offers a tenderly compelling view into the stories of immigrant families, as told by Karla Ramirez-Santin. Curated by Christina J. Hahn.