I created this work in response to the human rights violations perpetrated by the United States government in migrant detention facilities along the United States’ southern border. The materials that comprise the work allude to the austere physical conditions of the detention centers: cement, concrete, barbed wire, thermal blankets.

I am influenced by the work and philosophy of conceptual artist Lawrence Wiener. In my Refuge series, I use language as a sculptural material. The cement and concrete physically form the word “refuge,” conjuring an image of safe haven and protection in the mind of the viewer that is at odds with the physical materials that you can actually see. What conditions or experiences cause a human being to seek refuge? What conditions make the cement and barbed wire of a detention center worth risking? What kind of protection do we owe each other as human beings?

As both an artist and an educator, I am influenced by the work and pedagogy of Luis Camnitzer. Much of his work critiques state violence and Latin American military authoritarianism. McAllen and Port Isabel reflect the violence the United States government is currently inflicting on migrants and those seeking asylum from countries suffering the long-term effects of US-backed dictators and military regimes. 

Camnitzer’s installation A Museum is a School (2009 – ) redefines the artist-viewer relationship as one in which the artist sheds light on aspects of society through the art object, and the viewer connects the art object to broader cultural issues. Through my Refuge series, I intend to draw attention to the United States government’s inhumane treatment of migrants and invite the viewer to acknowledge and question our complicity in this practice.