When Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico in 2017, digital artist Zoya Deleon watched her childhood home transform into something unrecognizable. That night marked more than personal loss – it became the catalyst for her groundbreaking approach to preserving cultural heritage through technology.
“The storm taught me that preservation isn’t about keeping things exactly as they were,” Deleon says from her sun-filled Brooklyn studio. “It’s about finding new ways to carry our stories forward.”
Born in San Juan to a Spanish father and Puerto Rican mother, Deleon grew up between cultures. Her early years were spent in her mother’s restaurant kitchen, where traditional recipes merged with modern techniques, while evenings resonated with her father’s classical Spanish guitar. These diverse influences shaped her unique perspective on cultural preservation.
From Education to Innovation
After earning her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and MFA from Parsons School of Design, Deleon established herself as a digital artist who transforms traditional art forms into interactive experiences. Her work attracts attention from major cultural institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, where her recent installation “Remembering Tomorrow” draws thousands of visitors monthly.
The installation uses augmented reality to immerse viewers in a dynamic exploration of cultural identity. Visitors walk through digital recreations of traditional Puerto Rican and Spanish art forms, witnessing how they adapt and persist through time. The experience culminates in a virtual recreation of that fateful night during Hurricane Maria, demonstrating how natural disasters affect not just physical spaces but cultural identity itself.
“Many people think digital art and traditional culture exist in separate spheres,” says Dr. Sarah Chen, curator at MoMA. “Deleon’s work proves they can enhance each other. She’s not just preserving culture – she’s helping it thrive in digital spaces.”
Building Community Through Technology
Beyond her artistic practice, Zoya Deleon founded Digital Roots, a nonprofit providing digital art education to young people in Puerto Rico. The program has reached over 500 students since its inception in 2020, teaching them to use technology as a tool for cultural expression.
Recent projects have taken Zoya Deleon across the globe, from studying woodblock printing in Japan to documenting geometric patterns in Morocco’s ancient medinas. Each journey influences her digital creations, resulting in work that speaks to both local traditions and global audiences.
Her latest project, launching next month at the Brooklyn Museum, explores how communities maintain their cultural identity in an increasingly digital age. The installation combines AR technology with traditional craft techniques, allowing visitors to interact with virtual representations of endangered art forms.
“Technology isn’t replacing tradition,” Deleon explains. “It’s giving us new tools to understand and share our heritage.”
Preserving Heritage in the Digital Age
Despite international recognition, including a UNESCO Digital Heritage ambassadorship, Deleon maintains strong connections to her roots. She returns to Puerto Rico quarterly to teach workshops and collaborate with local artists. Her YouTube channel, which demonstrates the intersection of traditional and digital art forms, has gathered a substantial following among both art enthusiasts and cultural preservationists.
When asked about future directions, Deleon redirects the conversation to the present. “My focus isn’t on what’s next, but on what’s happening now – how communities are using digital tools to tell their stories, and how we can support them in that process.”
The success of Zoya Deleon’s approach suggests that cultural preservation and technological advancement need not be at odds. Through her work, she demonstrates how digital tools can amplify rather than diminish traditional cultural expressions, creating new possibilities for artistic and cultural continuity.
