Born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Florida with parents from Mexico and Peru artist Maria Montes Duran’s work encapsulates a range of experiences, the beauty, and struggles that come with being Latina in the United States. Montes Duran’s work explores her own experience and has recently expanded to focus on contemporary social issues within Latine society. Her images employ the use of family archives, projections, portraiture, sculptures, collages, and representations found on the streets of New York and Florida that celebrate the beauty of her culture. Montes Duran is currently working towards completing her BFA in Photography with a minor in Teaching Art and Design in NYC at Pratt Institute.