Ariel Mercado is a Queer Afro-Bori conceptual artist from the Bronx who explores the intersections of poetry and visual arts. Their work centers around the domestic space, transcendental psychology, consciousness, the diaspora, and the nature/quality of identity. They explore semiotics as a Black Bi-Cultural Diasporican, and whether an artist can make work that is truly Black and esoteric. They utilize ritual/performance work as a medium to highlight the responsibilities of audiences to artists, consent, and trust. Mercado intends that their work will aid in creating tender and investigative intra-communal conversations.

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          Their work as a program designer & arts administrator is an extension of their arts practice. Mercado utilizes the arts as a tool for social change.