GaudALupe Puentes
supported by his friends & family
Kristine Sorensen & Sai Thao
Lupe’s partner of thirteen years, Lily Heng, died suddenly in 2021. She was 37 years old. Lupe lives not only with this overwhelming grief but also carries a history of trauma from his tours in the Iraq war. He joined the Rain Watcher Project in an attempt to reconnect with others and to honor the life he led with his love Lily.
Afloat
I am the water that carries her memory and she is the water that keeps me afloat.
photographed by Lacey Marie Woida & Sai Thao / writing & concept by Gaudalupe Puentes
Pulled under
This anger that comes with grief….
It just leaves me stuck fighting through this river of misery….
Knowing that I am must ride the current of this life, is where my anger lies…. This unending river of grief is now my life… and all I can do is fight the current so as not to get pulled under for good.
photographed by Sai Thao / writing & concept by Gaudalupe Puentes
Famliar was
It was a windy day, a cold day…. The water was shockingly frigid… and yet I entered the body of this lake willing. Within a few minutes, my body numbed and made peace with situation of discomfort. The numbness of my body reflected the state of my mind and heart. Familiar was this cold that took me away.
The Current of this life /. a story of grief & water
The Rain Watcher Project is supported in part by Capitol Region Watershed District , the FR Bigelow Foundation, the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support Fund, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Flexible Support Fund, the Minnesota State Arts Board American Rescue Plan Award.