Paintings and Installations by Mexican-American artist Belinda Flores-Shinshillas were presented in collaboration between the Mexican Cultural Institute, the New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Arts Council of New Orleans and the Stone Center for Latin American Studies from March 22 – May 14, 2018. The OPENING RECEPTION was held on March 22 @ 6:00pm at the Mexican Cultural Institute’s Art Gallery. The Webster’s dictionary defines purity as “being free from or unmixed with any other matter”. Decoding the Purity of an Icon is a series of 10 oil female portrait paintings on canvas and 2 installations thought by Flores-Shinshillas to convey the message of recording an individual’s appearance and personality, using the tradition of Iconography for the veneration of purity and spirituality beyond the representation of the feminine subject. These works of art have been approached in a contemporary manner, making these portraits much more than pure representation. The exhibition is free and open to the public.