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Yessíca Torres is a first-generation Salvadoran-American artist working under the moniker La Dama, whose paintings intertwine her Latin heritage, love of cinema, and cultural commentary. Her bold, high-impact work explores themes of identity, assimilation, and societal dynamics, drawing influence from Pop Art, film, and contemporary political climates.

A true cinephile from childhood, Torres grew up captivated by the visual storytelling of her favorite directors, a passion that continues to inform the cinematic intensity and layered narratives within her work. Her artistic roots in screen printing shaped her graphic precision, yet each painting is executed through a fully analog process done entirely by hand, with no stencils or digital applications, underscoring both her perfectionism and her commitment to the tactile essence of painting.

Torres spent a decade in Los Angeles expanding her art education, refining her practice, and building a dedicated following. Her work has been exhibited across the United States; including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Miami, and New York and internationally in Toronto, Canada, with pieces held in private collections throughout North America, Mexico, Central America and Germany.

Torres's relationship to art extends well beyond her own canvas. As founder and director of Dama Gallery, LLC, she has spent the last fifteen years championing contemporary artists and curating over 300 exhibitions, work that has deepened her own understanding of what makes a body of work resonate. She is also the host of The Gallery Hangover Podcast, an IMDb-credited podcast streaming on all major platforms, where she explores the creative process and the realities of sustaining a career in the arts through candid conversations with artists.

Her roles as a gallerist and a working artist inform her as a creative whose eye has been sharpened by a life spent immersed in art from every angle. While her personal practice continues to thrive independently, maintaining a distinctive, uncompromising creative identity.