"Mourning Water — Tu Mami Si Te Quiso" Print

About the Piece:

This portrait honors the strength of a survivor who endured severe intimate partner violence while pregnant. The person who should have protected her instead inflicted physical abuse during one of the most vulnerable periods that a human could ever possibly face, forever changing her experience of motherhood, womanhood, and survival. The violence did not end with just cuts and bruises—it reshaped how she carried grief, love, and herself through the world. Rather than prescribing what viewers should feel, this survivor invites folks to sit with the work and discover their own emotional response. She leaves space for the existing quiet melancholy that can accompany motherhood after abuse—a reality that often remains unseen beneath expectations of joy and resilience. Which doubly envelops the feeling of grief when the baby doesn’t make it.

Absolutely zero parts of this reality makes one less of a mother, and it certainly doesn’t stop one from feeling the depth of that level of love. The infamous, indescribable, inexplicable love of a mother. Almost like a superpower. This portrait challenges the romanticized image of motherhood by acknowledging that for many survivors, pregnancy and parenthood are intertwined with violence, loss, and the lifelong process of letting go. In allowing herself to be fully seen, this survivor reminds us that survival is not the absence of sorrow, but the courage to continue living, loving, and reclaiming oneself in its presence.

About the Artist:

Genesis Cubilette is a multi-hyphenate creative and Child of God. Miami-born and Quisqueyana, Genesis came into this world Black, a woman, dyslexic, queer, a synesthete, and infinitely creative — with innate tools to make life her own. She stumbles, walks, and sometimes runs along her mercurial path.

A committed artist and writer with a strong grip on her joy, grief, survival instinct — ultimately, finally — her faith, Genesis makes what she imagines. Her work is always created in honor of, for, and alongside people engaged in a shared struggle and organized fight towards liberation. Every piece is rooted in that pursuit.

Follow Genesis at @somegenesis on Instagram or visit genesiscubilette.com to check out more of her work.

About the Materials:

• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan