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= Perla de Leon = Perla de Leon (New York, NY, 1952), is an American artist and photographer from New York City. Her most famous work is her "South Bronx Spirit" photo series which documents the urban decay of the South Bronx brought forth by its total economic collapse during the 1970s.

Personal Life
A New Yorker with Puerto Rican roots, de Leon grew up in the black and latino neighborhoods of the South Bronx. During the second half of the 20th century, White flight, economic changes, and the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway made it so that the poor working classes of the South Bronx were further disadvantaged by decreasing property value due to racial tensions and rising rates of crime. Convinced that the mainstream media did not accurately portray what had happened to the South Bronx and its people during her upbringing, she used photographs to capture the daily lives of the children and families who still remained in the decaying neighborhoods.

In 2018 she appeared on the Radio Broadcast, Constructive Forces hosted by Kate Yoland on Resonance 104. 4 FM to discuss the history behind her "South Bronx Spirit" Photo Series

de Leon also considers herself an activist and in 2018 she joined forces with LuminAid and University of Puerto Rico students to distribute solar lights to remote areas of the island following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

"South Bronx Spirit" Photo Series (1970s - 1980s)
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, De Leon began photographing the place she grew up in, documenting the underrepresented communities, occupied predominantly by African Americans and Latinos. This became her "South Bronx Spirit" photo series which aimed to offer a counter-narrative to the negative stereotypes that were aimed towards the residents of the South Bronx following the beginning of its economic collapse. In her photographs she documents the African American and Latino neighborhoods who's community and infrastructure was fragmented by the construction of the Cross Bronx expressway and then was devastated by extensive fires during the 1970s. She photographed the extent of the damage by showing residential streets that were reduced to rubble and looked more like "bomb sites." Although the photographs feature children playing outside and engaging with de Leon amongst the ruins, the work acts as a historical document which shows the consequences of U.S. austerity and highlights U.S. policy towards poor black and latino communities.

Her "South Bronx Spirit" Photo series has been featured in exhibitions at the El Museo del Barrio, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography (2017)
de Leon was one of ten Latino photographers featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Exhibition: Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography. Her contribution focused on the changes brought forth by social and economic changes that happened in the South Bronx during the 1970s showcased by her photo series, "South Bronx Spirit". The exhibit features the work of ten Latino Photographers, and features multiple cities that underwent drastic changes in terms of demographics and economy due to white flight and the construction of new highways that cut through once thriving neighborhoods. The ten artists document the economic and social disintegration that especially occurred in working class African American and Latino communities. The exhibit was also on view at El Museo del Barrio from September 2018 to January 2019.

Home-So Different, So Appealing (2017)
de Leon was featured in an exhibition that was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Home—So Different, So Appealing features U.S. Latino and Latin American artists from the late 1950s to the present. According to LACMA's official release on the exhibit, "the artists deceptively use the simple idea of 'home' as a powerful lens through which to view the profound socioeconomic and political transformations in the hemisphere. de Leon was one of 39 artists, of which her contribution was part of the 100 works that the exhibit used to explore contrasts within art related to targeted immigration policies and political repression. de Leon was chosen because of her photo series, "South Bronx Spirit" and how it offers an alternate viewpoint to the narrative surrounding working class communities that inhabited the South Bronx in the 1970s.

She Persists (2019)
In 2019 de Leon was one of 44 female artists from New York City to be featured in in the first ever woman's Art Exhibition to be on display at Gracie Mansion. The event was hosted by Mayor Bill de Blasio and curated by Art Historian Jessica Bell Brown. The exhibit aimed to reflect a more accurate representation of New York's history by featuring women who had largely been underrepresented during the 220 years that Gracie Mansion has stood.

Decades Under Fire: The Invisible Puerto Rican-American (2019 - 2020)
Decades Under Fire: The Invisible Puerto Rican-American is an upcoming book by Perla de Leon that seeks to compare the economic collapse, fires, and U.S. policies towards the South Bronx, Vieques, and Puerto Rico.

The Afro Descendant Project - Puerto Rico (2017)
In recognition of Puerto Rico completing 500 years since the beginning of colonial rule under Spain since 1517, she began a new photo-series consisting of photo-portraits of the citizens of Puerto Rico with African American roots. The purpose behind the photo series was to document Puerto Rico's "most vulnerable and invisible citizens," who's ancestors were brought over by slave ships and their labor built the foundation for Puerto Rico's economy.

Decade of Fire (2018)
de Leon's photo series, "South Bronx Spirit" was featured in the 2018 documentary Decade of Fire, directed by Vivian Vazquez and Gretchen Hildebran.