Exotic Novela

Facilitated by Teaching Artist Rebecca Goyette | In partnership with MoMA’s Community Partnership Programs

As part of MoMA’s Community Partnership Programs, artist and educator Rebecca Goyette collaborated with Project Luz—a photography initiative founded by Sol Aramendi for Latinx immigrants in New York City—to fuse performative art-making with themes from the Museum’s collection. Over the course of several months, the collaboration culminated in Exotic Novela, a vibrant series of photographic portraits exploring identity, narrative, and the expressive power of costume.

Project Luz empowers participants—new immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries—to explore photography as both creative practice and economic tool. Goyette, who brings a background in costumed performance and character-building, introduced the group to performative photography as a vehicle for self-invention. Drawing on traditions of telenovela melodrama, each participant designed an original character through handmade headdresses, masks, and costumes—exaggerated personas drawn from archetypal figures such as the vixen, the villain, the jilted lover, and the drama queen.

Participants considered: Are you performing your true self, or a fantasy? Are you concealing emotion, or amplifying it? These guiding questions invited deep reflection and playful exaggeration.

The project was deeply rooted in art historical dialogue. Goyette guided students through a close study of artists who work with costumed identity: Cindy Sherman’s metamorphic self-portraits, Marina Abramović’s iconic photo performances, Mika Rottenberg’s surreal characters, Leigh Bowery’s maximalist queer presence, and the performative symbolism of Ana Mendieta and Matthew Barney. These works were contrasted with Nan Goldin’s raw documentation of lived emotional realities, sparking conversation on stylization versus authenticity.

Using a fully equipped studio setup—with lighting, props, and backdrops—the class translated these influences into their own compositions. Each portrait tells a story, capturing the essence of its character while blurring the line between satire, truth, and personal mythology. The result is a striking series that amplifies the lived experience of each artist while celebrating community, resilience, and creative agency.

Exotic Novela is not only a portrait series—it is an act of reclamation and storytelling through art, costume, and photography, bridging personal histories with broader cultural narratives. Through play, performance, and collaboration, participants discovered new ways to see themselves and be seen.