During her residency at 1708 Gallery in Richmond, Virginia, Santina focused on the empty living room that became her studio—a space stripped of the typical markers of domestic life, save for a grey couch. This absence of objects heightened her awareness of the body’s role in defining and occupying space. In this photographic series, the couch becomes a stage upon which she engages with the stillness and isolation of the environment, reflecting on the home as both a site of comfort and confinement.

Santina deliberately left the wooden ladder in the space, intrigued by its odd, almost absurd presence—a functional object, yet seemingly without purpose, propped up against the wall. It struck her as a symbol of a journey or ascent that leads to nowhere, an embodiment of futile progress or unreachable goals. In this way, the ladder becomes more than just an object; it represents an existential tension between movement and stagnation, ambition and futility. Its verticality and placement also invite a subtle commentary on power, hierarchy, and, inevitably, the phallic symbol—standing tall but ultimately leading to an empty, undefined space.

Through a series of performative gestures, her body almost merges with the couch, interacting with the stark domestic setting to evoke a sense of solitude. These images capture the tension between presence and absence, reflecting the emotional labor required to navigate spaces that feel simultaneously familiar and alien. The work speaks to the complex dynamics of inhabiting environments that blur the lines between comfort and estrangement.

The series reimagines the domestic environment from the perspective of a single, immigrant woman, exploring how the body navigates these interiors outside traditional roles and expectations. It reflects not just on personal space but on the broader experience of existing within transitional spaces—between belonging and estrangement, stillness and movement, purpose and futility.