I created this work in response to the human rights violations perpetrated by the United States government in detention facilities along the southern border. Using images of crowded migrant detention centers, I burned low-resolution photos onto a silkscreen through a photo-emulsion process, which resulted in the abstracted shapes repeated across the thermal blanket. The repetition of the images alludes to constant images of suffering that we witness in news coverage of so-called migrant “surges” and “crisis,” as well as the process of desensitization to human suffering that we undergo while viewing these news images. As the viewer focuses on these shapes, the bodies and cages in the piece’s title become recognizable, as does the viewer’s reflection in the thermal blanket. I intend to draw attention to the US government’s inhumane treatment of migrants and invite the viewer to reflect on and question our complicity in this practice. What kind of protection do we owe each other as human beings? What alternatives are possible that honor human dignity?

“bodies, borders, cages” won the Excellence Award at the 33rd Annual Open Juried Exhibition at the Warwick Center for the Arts, awarded by juror Anthony Thomaselli. The $200 prize was donated to RAICES, a non-profit that provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees. Please consider making your own donation to support the important work of RAICES. 

Watch me talk about this piece at the Hera Gallery Artist Talk (video starts at 11:45 - 15:28):