Influences from Dominican childhood infuse Firelei Báez exhibit

Memory moves New York City artist Firelei Báez, now presenting her paintings and drawings in “Trust Memory Over History” at Gallery Wendi Norris.

“The physical memory of sunlight and landscape always informs the making of the work,” says Báez, 34, who grew up on the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti before moving to Miami.

Metamorphosing female figures like a hirsute Mary Magdalene or the ciguapa, a magical trickster in Dominican folklore, recur in Báez’s work, which delves into sociopolitical black resistance movements throughout the African diaspora.

“Trust Memory Over History” marks Báez’s first public exhibit in San Francisco, but the Bay Area is also a return of sorts.

San Francisco Art Institute lecture hall, 800 Chestnut St., S.F. Gallery hours 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Through March 5.