Yelaine Rodriguez

Yelaine Rodriguez (born 1990) is an Afro-Dominican multidisciplinary artist, scholar, and curator. Her work explores themes of identity and Afro-Caribbean culture, specifically spirituality and its cultural blending over time. Her multimedia pieces often consist of handmade art worn by performers in research-based scripted projects examining race, religion and gender roles. Rodriguez is the founder of La Lucha: Dominican Republic & Haiti: One Island, an artist collective centered on the theme of the relationship between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Background and education Yelaine Rodriguez was born in the Bronx, New York in 1990. She later graduated from NYU in 2021 with a master's degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and is currently pursuing a doctorate through Northwestern University.

In Yelaine Rodriguez's multimedia project Ebbó, she uses wearable art in a scripted dance performance piece to address assumptions about syncretic religions. Through her depiction of various Yoruba deities, the project highlights the blending of Yoruba and Catholic traditions in the Caribbean, and addresses potential cultural misconceptions.