Anita Guerra
Jacobba, 2025
Site-specific - variable dimensions, approximately 250 x 60 x 4 m. Individual works measure 43 x 80 cm. Indirect monotype on non-woven fabric, rice paper with shellac painted with oil and ink, pink linen jacket; bamboo and twine.

This work is titled "Jacobba," created specifically for the "Glass Ceiling" exhibition, which opened on March 8th, International Women's Day. It is my feminine interpretation of the story of Jacob in the Old Testament. He has a dream in which he sees angels climbing a ladder to guide him on his spiritual journey to God. Ladders have always symbolized the connection between earth and heaven/paradise. They also represent the climb to career success, or a symbol of personal transformation or evolution.
My works are all indirect monotypes, unique drawings made with ink on glass. The ink adheres to the front of the paper only where I have applied pressure on the back, following an intricate, unique drawing. My work began with the very dark piece at the top of my installation. I thought this first monotype was a complete disaster because it came out too black. I persisted in making other versions until I achieved the perfect result. However, in the end, when I looked at them all, I realized that the dark version was the one I liked the most, the one I thought was a mistake! So, I decided to use all the versions as a metaphor for life: the failures and mistakes that allow us to grow and reach greater heights. We often have to let go of things in order to progress, so I placed a discarded pink jacket on one of the steps, like the skin of a shed snake.
The image tells my personal journey, but with contemporary and universal themes for every woman. In the background on the left is Havana, and on the right, Rome, because it represents my journey from Cuba, where I was born, to the United States, where I studied, and then to Rome, where I live. The girl sleeping on the floor is me when I return home, exhausted, in front of my laptop!