“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself…”
— Leviticus 19:34 (NIV, excerpt)
Portraits of FusionFest
Orlando Museum of Art
In 2025, Portraits of FusionFest made Juan David Tena the first Colombian artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art.
The exhibition presented 22 life-size portraits, selected from more than 400 photographs Tena made during the sixth and seventh editions of FusionFest, Central Florida’s multicultural festival. The sitters, immigrants who call Central Florida home, volunteered to pose in the traditional dress of their cultures of origin, from Mexico, South Korea, Ukraine, Indonesia, India and Colombia, among others. Each was photographed as a living ambassador of their heritage. So that no one who posed would be left out, a digital display rotated the full collection alongside the printed works.
More than a series of portraits, the exhibition is a statement about identity and belonging. It presents the immigrant story as one of dignity, resilience and contribution. Visitors stood eye to eye with neighbors who shape the life of the region, and at the opening, many of them recognized the people in the portraits standing in the room beside them.
Portraits of FusionFest was presented by Massey Services in partnership with FusionFest, the Orlando Museum of Art, Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Consulate General of Colombia in Orlando. Following the exhibition, a selection of the works was installed at the Office of the Mayor of Orlando.
“My art is a political statement without words. It builds bridges, not walls.”
Juan David Tena
