As the daughter of a midwife, I have always been surrounded by mothers and in awe of the raw transformative power of motherhood, It is something I revere and cherish capturing in my work. During the pandemic I created with my mother Bienparida which more than a brand its a community in Colombia for maternal and female care where we offer products, education and care services. In the development of Bienparida I noticed how often the mothers are the ones taking the pictures and preserving memories but rarely we see them in them. Fast forward to 2024 and moving to New York city I decided to create asukkar and through my work document the beautiful chaos of the first few years of motherhood and preserve those memories for generations to come.

As a creative whose main medium is photography the quest for preserving history and memories becomes an essential part of my creative practice. When I sit down at my grandparents dining room flipping through the yellowed pages of photo albums I get to peek through a window to the past and visit past versions of my relatives and myself. By doing so I get a better understanding of my family’s history and present. Our family history is a perishable commodity, that with time tends to fade and disappear as loved ones pass away, memories are forgotten and there is no one left to ask questions to. The most important aspect of family history is its preservation as a record of the present for the future. In a world where nearly 5 billion images are taken a day, slowing down and taking the time to make meaningful images becomes more important.

As an immigrant and member of the Latin diaspora, themes of identity, belonging, and cultural preservation are deeply personal. The concept of 'Latinness,' while controversial to some, provides a framework for understanding the complexities of Latin American identity, particularly through the lens of colonialism, migration, and cultural exchange. For me, this isn't just an academic exercise; it's a lived experience. Finding pieces of home in a foreign land—like discovering a café serving pan de bono—is a lifeline, a tangible connection to my roots. My identity is a constantly evolving collage, pieced together from fragments of past and present. This is reflected in the name 'asukkar,' a fusion of 'azúcar' (Spanish for sugar) and 'sukkar' (Arabic for sugar), representing the intersection of my heritage and my husband's. Just as 'Azúcar Manuelita,' a beloved brand in my home country, evokes sweet memories, 'asukkar' embodies my mission: to preserve those sweet moments and create visual narratives that honor your history and identity across generations.