Daniel Aros-Aguilar (he/she/them) is a gender non-conforming artist born in Colombia and now based in Harlem. Daniel grew up in Florida, where their family immigrated seeking refuge. Following their graduation from high school, Daniel transferred to BMCC in Manhattan. After leaving college without a degree, they began assisting photographer Mike Ruiz. They later started producing commercial and editorial work for Rachel Elliston Photographers. Daniel currently holds a residency at the BxArts Factory and is a recipient of the En Foco Photography Fellowship, 2022. That same year, they received the American Photographic Artists D.C. Chapter LGBTQIA+ Grant for their series “Sandunga Nunca Muere.”

"Juchitan de Zaragosa is a city located in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico. Due to the bottleneck effect created by the region’s location, the isthmus is known for its vibrancy and diversity and for holding women at the center of the family. Today, most Juchitan continues to practice their Zapotec tongue and live by their Native and European-influenced customs and traditions. Some of these traditions transcend colonization, including the affirmation of the third gender. Muxes or Muxhes are neither male nor female. A Muxe, in dilutive terms, is a gender outside of the binary that, at times, is sexually attracted to the same sex. Muxes, like many other pre-colonial queer identities, are affirmations that sexuality and gender are beyond a Christianized definition of morality. We, I speak of anyone that has lived the queer experience, are here and have always been here, even before the documented times."