“Treason with a Twist of Lime”

For the last blog post discussing The Border Project exhibit hosted by the University of Arizona, I decided to save one of my favorite pieces for last. And the reason why this piece is my favorite is because of how colorful it is, as well as how it had a great amount of writing sprawled all over it that helped me question a side of immigration I failed to discuss thus far, and that is death.

The piece that I am now analyzing is local artist Paco Velez’s “Treason with a Twist of Lime.” It was made in 2011 and it is described to be a mixed media print on canvas for all of you art fanatics out there. His art, especially this piece, takes a graffiti-like approach that is common in the contemporary art world, said Lauren Rabb, curator of the Museum of Art.

According to Velez, his piece was inspired by the murders of two women in Nogales, Sonora. He explained that his piece was “violent,” but even so, he was hoping that it would bring attention to how both countries (the U.S. and Mexico) are responsible for the deaths of Mexican migrants, as well as some “peace” for the women and the dead migrants who try to come to America.

Looking at the piece overall, he does take a disturbing approach to the matter. You’ve got things like a heart whose blood vessels are completely cut off. You’ve got elements like a ghost-like woman with no head floating in the middle. There’s a license plate from Sonora (I am assuming to represent Mexico), as well as an obese, jolly man freely eating (I am assuming to represent the United States). But if anything, what I find to be the most interesting elements of this piece are the words and sentences the artist incorporated into his piece. To me, it was these sentences that made me question things about all sides to immigration from Mexico. It made me think about why people come to the U.S. (for more opportunities), why people leave Mexico (corruption), and yet it made me really think about the people that do not make it across the border. The reason for this could be potential dehydration and heat stroke, but also because both sides just make it difficult (i.e. U.S. Border Patrol v. Mexican drug cartels).

Take a look at the following picture on the left. “Fuck redemption,” it bleeds. If anything, these two words that both hold so much weight to them made me question whether or not risking your life was worth the opportunity of rebirth, or a new life.

Below are more photographs of similar sentences that Velez painted onto his piece. I encourage you to read each one and take a moment to analyze it and question the concept yourself, instead of having me feed your mind with how I interpreted this work.

SPAM on Natives

What do you think of when you think of early interactions between Native Americans and European colonists? Well, if you are like me, the friendly image of the first Thanksgiving feats probably pops in your mind. You know what I am talking about: That story that your elementary school teachers shared with you around late November every year? To help paint a picture, the story where both the pilgrims and Native Americans are surrounding an oblong table. There is a turkey in the middle and a Native American is dressed in wild garb and feathers, happily handing the more conservative pilgrim corn, which was a foreign crop to Europeans at the time.

I am assuming that you may be asking where I am going with this. Well, up until now, I have analyzed artwork that revolves around Mexican migrants coming into the United States. And a majority of these works tackles a political point of view on how these Mexican nationals pose a threat to the U.S. lifestyle and economy, especially those classified as undocumented immigrants. Overall, the whole issue is painted in a negative light.

Yet, an argument that I have heard time and time again that comes from the opposing side, or those for Mexican immigration, is that our European ancestors migrated to the U.S. for the same reason: for a better life. However, who actually pays attention and addresses how European immigrants have posed a bigger threat to Native Americans upon their settlement and immigration starting the late 15th century to early U.S. history (i.e. the concept behind the Manifest Destiny)?

Before, I probably would have answered “no one.” However, after taking my own personal tour of The Border Project during its active days at the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art, I can think of one artist: Jaune Quick-to-See Smith.

In short, Smith is a contemporary Native American artist. She was born in 1940 on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Indian Reservation in Montana. Today, is she known internationally for her paintings and printmaking.

And the painting that the organizers of the exhibit chose to display is called “Spam.” According to Smith, the purpose of “Spam” was to highlight the influence of the Western culture on the Native American culture. Apparently, it focuses solely on the foods that were forced onto their society, however, I think the work can be expanded further than that. More particularly, it can be extended to the beginning when the Europeans first started “forcing” their lifestyles on the Natives. For example, Europeans tried converting Native Americans to Christianity to stop them from being barbaric “savages.” They also wanted them to seem more civilized by wearing more conservative clothing instead of animal skin.

This idea of how Native Americans were forced to adopt Western ideologies and goals can be symbolized by the random clips that Smith implemented into her painting, such as the one I provided called, “Things to do, people to see, places to go.” Though she included a buffalo to symbolize Native Americans’ origins in spirituality, the painting has a faint outline of the animal. To me, this symbolizes how Native Americans are losing touch with what they once believed and are readily accepting what the Western culture stresses on them today, as seen in the “Things to do” clip.

Women Migrants: “Born Unknown and Death Unknown”

Time and time again, I probably hinted toward how, thanks to the various art pieces found from “The Border Project” exhibit, I am starting to realize that illegal immigration is not just a political issue to get heated-up about, but also a humanity issue to consider.

At first, it was Paul Turounet‘s “Estamos Buscando A” that made me realize it. Some odd pieces later, it is now Marisa Boullosa‘s “Born Unknown and Death Unknown” that is making me consider a migrant’s point of view, as well as destiny if you will.

First, let’s talk a little bit about Boullosa. She is a San Miguel artist. More specifically, she experiments with all angles like painting, printing, sculpting and photography to name a few. But it was in 2011 when she won the Krasner-Pollock Award for pieces that revolved around hot immigration issues sparked by the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Born Unknown and Death Unknown” is just one of the many examples of Boullosa’s immigration works. Just by glancing at it, the audience member will see two parts. The first part being the outline of a front of a worker’s jumper with the words “Born Unknown” underneath. The second part is the back of that same worker’s jumper, however, it reads “Death Unknown” underneath it instead. And if you glanced a little bit closer, you could see outlines of objects within the person’s pockets, such as a tiny paper windmill and flowers. To me, this indicates that this worker’s jumpers belonged to a woman. More particularly, a woman with a child whom she is crossing the border for; to provide a better life for.

Interestingly, I did further research and I found out that Boullosa’s piece was aimed to focus on women migrants. In general, she said that her visual work dealt with “the daily struggle women endure.”

To me, it appears as if these women enter the U.S. with no identity. And according to this piece, it appears that they remain without an identity when they die, despite living and working in the United States for awhile. It is hard to refrain from politics here, but it would have been interesting to have Boullosa interpret the struggles of applying for citizenship here – I think we never get that perspective. Of course, this piece could also be indicating that these women die upon entering the U.S. in the midst of crossing the desert with no identity, nor the opportunity to establish an identity in America.

But of course, that’s just my two cents.

“Gateways”

Last week, I shared an image provided by the artist Luis Alex Levy. It was an altered “Caution” image that depicted three individuals – a family. More particularly, it expressed how people along the border need to be cautious about migrants coming into the United States. I remember discussing how I found it strange and usual to see an artist that focused on soundscapes to provide just an image. Well, I spoke too soon. I realized that he provided a sound project as well called “Gateways.”

I think the reason why I missed “Gateways” at first was due to the fact that it was hidden within a sound booth that was not apparently placed in the museum. However, once you entered, it became apparent that the booth was art itself. Just like any other sound booth, this one contained speakers at the corners of it, as well as blue triangular-shaped foams to trap the sound inside. It also contained a white bench for visitors to sit, as well as a plaque on the right-hand side. On this plaque was the transcript to Levy’s soundscape.

According to Levy, the following Youtube video consists of the sound project, “Gateways,” as well as photos he has taken during a trip out to the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Sonora. Overall, it’s a collage of different voices connected by similar experiences.

Levy said that his original intention of “Gateways” started with him wanting to learn as much as he could about the border. He wanted to gather a collage of voices from different people all along the border in order to represent how “different” or “similar” various parts of the border are. Overall, it contains voices that speak in both English and Spanish.

If anything, “Gateways” examines a particular aspect of the U.S.-Mexico border. More particularly, it examines the idea that I touched base on last week - the American Dream. Overall, it appears that this piece examines that search for a better life filled with new opportunities within the United States. However, it seems to offer a “new way” to look at the idea behind the American Dream. It takes the concept and makes it more human. It makes us realize the sacrifices and pain people go through regarding their choice of coming to America, such as being viewed as a “criminal” for being an undocumented immigrant, or even the loss of family members, whether it be death or no longer being able to see them. It also touches base on life’s basic necessities: “a livable wage, medical attention and education.”

 

Caution: American Dream in the First Generation

Let’s face it. The first thing that pops in our heads when we think about the U.S.-Mexico border revolves around immigration. More particularly, the debate and issue of illegal immigration, undocumented immigrants already living in the U S of A, and maybe a quick image of a white and green Dodge Durango sporting the title “U.S. Border Patrol” on its sides. Maybe.

I want to know though, how many of us actually sit down and ponder over the reasons as to why Mexican nationals are constantly trying to come into the United States? I can tell you that I never really did till I started analyzing various art pieces from the Border Project.

Anyway, from my personal perspective, politics usually gets in the way. No wait, I’m sorry. Politics ALWAYS gets in the way. Many arguments you can hear vaporizing in the air about undocumented immigrants revolve around reasons about how they just want to try and steal hardworking Americans’ jobs and benefits. Not that many people consider the fact that they may be pursuing the idea of the good ol’ American Dream. You know the one where there is this idea that you come to America to work hard in order to live a better life that is full of opportunity for you, but more importantly for your children and future generations?

How do we get there though? Well, according to a piece I stumbled upon while touring the exhibit, my guess is that the first step is coming into the country… hence, immigration.

The piece was contributed by artist Luis Alex Levy. After doing some research, I found out that Levy tends to focus solely on sounds and constructing soundscapes. In fact, he said “I am interested in sound… with intense fascination. Sometimes, sound carries meaning… [and] my mission is to learn as much as I can by listening.” He also said that we can learn about ourselves and humanity that way.

Knowing this, I found it to be quite interesting to see how he contributed an image that you can find along the border. As you can see below, it is similar to those “Caution” yellow, triangular signs you’d see near places like school grounds. However, it depicts a family crossing.

Unfortunately, I could not find the artist’s statement regarding this piece, so my interpretation may appear a little off than from what he was intending. But then again, that’s art for you – everyone sees things differently. Everything speaks to people differently. And to me, this picture told me that the American Dream still exists. However, not for second generation Americans, or third or fourth, etc. Instead, the idea behind the American Dream appears to only be very apparent toward the first generation.

To me, it appears as if this image is telling me how the American Dream is still alive seeing how Mexican nationals are still dieing – literally – to cross the border and make it to the land full of opportunities – even those opportunities that Americans may quickly shrug off and reject. If anything, Levy was right: The “caution” portion teaches us that our lifestyle here in America is one where individuals take things for granted, so it may be “new” and “surprising” for us to even remotely consider the idea of working hard for new opportunities since many of us are second+ generations in America.

The Vast Terrain

It is after Spring Break at the University of Arizona and the Border Project is no longer is open to the public. The exhibit ended on March 11 after being displayed at the UA’s Museum of Art since November 2011.

Luckily, I managed to tour the exhibit one last time prior to its closure. While there, I took enough photographs and notes to guarantee enough blog posts till the end of the semester in Border Beat. Thus, I will still be able to discuss and analyze various border-related projects created by contemporary artists from both yesterday and today.

With that said, let’s take a look at Daniel Leivick‘s digital panoramic, “Border Patrol and Cave Dwellings.”

I remember Lauren Rabb telling me that Leivick’s piece was one of her favorites in the exhibit. She explained how it immediately forces you to into “observation mode” by putting you in a migrant’s shoes, and giving you a sense of what they saw coming into America. More particularly, what they felt crossing the vast Sonoran Desert here in Arizona.

The photograph is a large panoramic of the Sonoran Desert near the U.S.-Mexico Border. It was taken by Leivick in 2011.

Rabb said that Leivick included a person on the very lower left of the photograph in order to give scale as to how vast the Sonoran Desert would appear to a lone migrant coming into the United States. She also said that just by looking at it, you cannot help but realize that they are thinking that “somewhere out there, way far away, is a place where I can get water.”

The art curator also pointed out other elements that Leivick included in his photograph, however, she didn’t really explain why he included them. For one, on the lone road is a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle. Personally, it appears that Leivick included the vehicle to not only show how it is “swallowed by the landscape,” but also to signify that the agents also are undergoing a similar challenge as the migrants. In this case, Border Patrol agents have to monitor, or “control” the vast terrain.

Finally, Rabb pointed out that the photograph consists of various caves. She said that Leivick wanted to note how those caves provided shelter for dwellers then and now.

Annie Lopez challenges cultural identity

“Now let me show you a contrasting piece (to Paul Turounet’s),” Lauren Rabb said as she continued to take me on a little tour around “The Border Project” exhibit.

After making a sharp left turn from “Estamos Buscando A,” I was immediately greeted with three different picture frames. A prominent blue illuminated from each of the frames. I noticed that this strong color outlined various childhood photos found within the frames. The photos followed a three-by-three format.

I stepped close to the first piece of this three-piece set. I analyzed the first child. Then the next. Then the next. Almost immediately, I realized that each of the children resembled one another. “This must be the same person,” I thought. “Perhaps the artist herself.”

My eyes continued to shift from photo to photo before I stumbled upon white text. It was difficult to read at first for the text was squashed together with no spacing between each word.

That’s when I noticed Lauren was reading it out-loud.

The first frame read: “IallowedpeopletothinkIwasanythingbutMexican.”

The second: “MymothernevermadetraditionalMexicanfood.ShesaidifaMexicanmadeit,itisMexicanfood.”

And the third: “MyMexicanNanausedatemalerecipefromGoodHouseKeepingMagazine.”

I stood there confused. At first I was confused over the tactic of squishing the words together. Then, I was confused over the whole general message. This confusion was apparent to Lauren.

“It’s about the whole sense of how much do you want to be Mexican,” Lauren said. “Do you want to deny being Mexican? Be Mexican? Embrace it? It’s the conflict (many immigrants) had (after coming to the U.S.)”

My mind immediately thought of my own grandmother’s story. I remember how my dad told me that her family changed the pronunciation of her maiden name, Hough. Originally, it was pronounced like “Hue,” but they changed it to “Huff.” My dad explained that they had to deny their Dutch culture because it was hard for Dutch immigrants to get jobs in Massachusetts in the early 1900’s. Changing how they pronounced their name helped blend them into the American society.

Now, Annie Lopez (the artist) showed me a different side to how early immigrants struggled to fit in with American values.

In her artist statement, Lopez says her grandmother moved to the U.S. with her husband in 1919. She quickly adopted the American lifestyle and instead of making traditional Mexican food her own mother taught her, she would get her recipes from “Good Housekeeping Magazine.” She also mentions that her parents did not want to teach her Spanish.

“She is talking about… ‘All my friends are not Mexican. Maybe I don’t want to be. Why do I have to be? What does this mean? How much do you want to embrace it?’” Lauren said.

I came to the conclusion that, like my grandmother’s family, Lopez had to ditch important cultural elements in order to successfully be seen as an American.

Lopez’s piece challenged and questioned identity – a complete contrast to Turounet’s piece, indeed.

For a more in-depth interview with Annie Lopez about her artwork and her take on her experiences growing-up being Mexican-American, check out the UAMuseumofArt’s Youtube videos:

Part 1 of 5:

Part 2 of 5.

Part 3 of 5.

Part 4 of 5.

Part 5 of 5.

Personal Audio on “Estamos Buscando A”

For this week’s blog posting, I decided to experiment a bit with audio seeing how I would like to pursue a career path in radio journalism. However, I am having some conflict with getting my voice right (i.e. timing, conversational, etc.) So, with my teacher’s advisement, I decided to extend last week’s blog post. In this one, I go into a question regarding safety.

For additional readings, check out:

My profile about Paul Turounet.

Turounet’s official website.

Turounet’s segment on “Estamos Buscando A”

Turounet’s statement about “Estamos Buscando A”

The University of Arizona’s Museum of Art’s official website.

“The Border Project” homepage.

Estamos Buscando A (We’re Looking For)

“And this one is called ‘Estamos Buscando A,’ or ‘We’re Looking For,’” said art curator Lauren Rabb as she raised her hand to touch a piece of art displayed within the Museum of Art‘s exhibit “The Border Project.”

I turned my body toward the direction of her right index finger and immediately, I took a step back. Hanged right in front of me were two giant pieces of steel connected together. Each steel possessed a zig-zagged surface with thousands of circular spots. Leaning in closely, I noticed that these spots were made of rust.

Leaning back, I noticed a photograph to the left of me. It appeared to be printed on a slab of steel. Taking a step back and looking over the steel piece in its entirety, I notice 10 similar photos sprawled on this metal wall.

“These photographs are all of migrants coming into the U.S.,” Lauren said as I studied a man within one of them. He was standing in the middle of it, with his hands awkwardly placed within his pockets. On his face was a shy, yet somewhat nervous expression. But within his eyes, I detected a glimmer of hope, probably hope for a new future of opportunities in the U.S.

I glanced at another photograph. And another. And another. I saw migrants who were old. I saw migrants who were young. No matter their age and no matter what they were doing, it was their facial expressions that mesmerized me. Some of them displayed happiness. Some showed us their exhaustion. Some of them even showed fear, confusion or frustration. Yet, no matter what they blatantly felt at the time, all of their eyes shared that same glimmer of hope.

In surprise, I smiled. Strangely, I felt a sense of comfort… Something you wouldn’t expect to feel at the thought of undocumented immigrants coming into the U.S.

This surprised feeling of comfort made me curious to see what the artist had to say about the piece himself. So, I asked Lauren if she can give me his contact information.

***

Ring… Ring… Ring… I waited. This would be my second attempt at calling Paul Turounet, the artist of “Estamos Buscando A.”

Ring.

I sighed. He’s not going to pick- “Hi, this is Paul?,” a friendly voice interrupted my thought. Nervous, I immediately explained why I was calling: I’m a UA journalism student writing about his piece of art and I was wondering if I could ask him a few questions about it. He agreed.

In our brief interview, he explained to me that “Estamos Buscando A” took him about two years to complete (2004 to 2006).

In 2004, he finished taking photographs of the migrants found along the Mexican side of the border. He said that many of the photographs originated from areas like Tijuana, Tecate, Sonora Mexico and Sasabe.

“Well, except that cactus shrine. That’s from Arizona,” Paul laughed and my mind recollected this two-piece photograph of a cactus rising high into the air with a memorial of the Virgin Mary, paper, candles, photographs and rocks at its base.

From 2005 to 2006, Paul spent “a good chunk of time” printing his photographs on steel, which is a form of art known as tintype. Then, in 2006, he salvaged a piece of the border wall from Tijuana.

“They tore it down so families can meet without crossing,” Paul said. “It was rusting ’cause it ran into the Pacific Ocean… I salvaged it and rebuilt it (before putting the photographs on it).”

Paul stopped talking, so I asked him what was the true message of his work.

“I done a lot of research on how migrants have been photographed and portrayed,” Paul said. “What was lacking for me was a sense of how they were seen as people. How they were represented in terms of a visual literacy standpoint.”

Paul began to explain how several photographs we see on a daily basis is taken from the “U.S. standpoint,” which is mainly “them crossing the border and being intercepted by Border Patrol.”

“I was a lot more interested in dealing with their sense of identity… the (psychological) states where they are leaving something behind in anticipation with no idea what’s going to happen,” Paul excitedly explained. “It creates a lot of emotional tension. It’s a significant moment in someone’s life. They leave their sense of home for a new opportunity, regardless of why they are crossing.”

Paul finished the interview with a statement that left me feeling exactly what he had hoped his work would accomplish to his viewers.

“I hope the photographs trigger an emotional response that reflects a greater sense of humanity and less politics in migrants crossing,” he said.

“Mujer Ángel”: It’s About the Culture

“Show me your favorite piece” was all it took for Jimmy Fennewald, a senior at the University of Arizona, to make a bee-line toward the photo section of The Border Project, one of the UA’s current art showcases.

He entered the dimly-lit room and suddenly stopped. He crossed his arms before letting out an awe-inspired sigh.

“It’s called ‘Mujer Ángel,’” said the studio-art major, as he stared at the black and white photograph.

Jimmy Fennewald studies his favorite piece "Mujer Ángel," which is just one of the many photographs found within "The Border Project" located within the UA's Museum of Art.

Published in 1979, “Mujer Ángel” or “Angel Woman” is one of the most popular pieces by one of Mexico’s most prolific photographers, Graciela Iturbide. It depicts a Seri Indian – an indigenous native of Mexico – dressed in traditional, Mexican garb while climbing a mountain in the Sonoran Desert. It has been described as a “good representation” of the Sonoran landscape, however, audience members like Jimmy visualize more.

“I just love how she is holding that radio,” Jimmy said, pointing-out the photo’s only clue to modernization.

According to past interviews, Iturbide described this photograph as an “interesting” transition within the Seri people’s culture. She said they were a nomadic people who were suddenly trading their folk art for electronic equipment at the time.

If anything, the photograph explains the idea of cultural identity and its adaptation to modern society, Jimmy said.

Jimmy took a step back from the photograph before glancing over the other photographs found within the room. He explained that, similar to “Mujer Ángel,” The Border Project will show visitors a series of paintings, sculptures, drawings and film-scapes that focus on the cultures and contemporary life along the U.S.-Mexican border, in addition to a few politically-driven pieces.

“And you can basically interpret it to anything,” Jimmy said. “But it’s really about the culture. What you see. What they do.”