The Aches and Pains of Daily Living, 2023, Screenprint, 30 x 22 in.

Palén Obesa [Paloma Leida Natividad Obergh Santos] is a Dominican-born multidisciplinary artist who explores transient themes through prints, books, and handmade paper. They received a BFA in Painting and Drawing from SUNY Purchase in 2017 and studied for a year at Penland School of Craft as part of the 2025 Core Fellowship Program. Their interest in developing a creative practice grounded in social justice and cultural equity has led them to participate in professional leadership programs such as the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) Innovative Cultural Advocacy Fellowship (2021) and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Leadership Institute (2019).

Obesa’s work has been widely exhibited across the United States and internationally. Selected venues include the Bronx Council on the Arts, Loisaida Inc. Center, La Peña Gallery, La Casa de la Cultura de Puerto Plata, and Riverfront Art Gallery at Yonkers Public Library. They collaborated with the printmaking collective, Consejo Grafico Nacional, as a guest artist for the print portfolios, Perro Mundo/Raw World (2019) and Los Americans: same=different (2022), representing sfernandez Press & Taller and Coronado printstudio respectively.

Obesa is currently pursuing an MFA in Printmaking at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Artist Statement

My practice is informed by my lived experiences with chronic illness and immigration. I trace back to the language of journal entries, intrusive thoughts, memories, and internal dialogues to depict narratives that are inherently diaristic. These private records are translated using nature, symbolism, and unsettling imagery to materialize intricate fever dreams that examine the impermanence—and persistence—of life, memory, and embodied experiences. The resulting work considers how sociopolitical influences complicate society’s perceptions of mortality, suffering, and belonging, while also examining the interdependence between the self and the ecosystems we inhabit.