Lys Santamaria
Hijas del Mar
Each sculpture is approx 6×2″
Acrylic, Plaster cloth, Collage
2019

Fourteen women lay at the bottom of the ocean, joyful and carefree.
This series is my interpretation of overcoming one of my greatest fears. When I was little, I
almost drowned. That experience left me with a severe distrust of water and of myself. This
fear flooded into every facet of my life – I feared to express my deepest emotions, accepting my
darkest thoughts, and revealing my true self to others.

For a very long time, I refused to dive in deep.

This year, I began taking swimming lessons and I finally swam in the deep end. Then, I took a trip to Roatan, Honduras, and snorkeled for the first time. I saw the astonishing beauty that exists in the depths of the ocean. This moment impacted me as deeply as the trauma of almost drowning many years ago.

I confronted my fear and found beauty.

These women represent the human ability to transform fear into joy. By navigating through our
deepest fears and truths, we might discover the beauty that we’ve never seen before. Each of
these women is a reminder to embrace your fears – to get so comfortable with your fear that
you relax, trust, and enjoy the depths.