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source: http://yosimarreyes.com/stories/mexican

I chose this poem in a blog post by Yosimar Reyes because it illustrates the complex identity that being undocumented living in the U.S. has created. When one is distant from their family's past it adds a lot of confusion. I think this poem adds a lot of depth to the estranged identity many undocumented Latinx folks have with their family and traditions.

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9. Education Is Liberation - Yehimi Cambrón

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9. Education Is Liberation - Yehimi Cambrón

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source: https://www.artsatl.org/this-week-in-street-art-the-murals-of-immigrant-activist-yehimi-cambron/

I chose this mural art piece because it gives recognition of the existence of undocumented people. "Aqui estamos" gives strength and agency to undocumented people. I think the symbolism with education and the book as a wing holds a lot of power as well.

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8.  Uprising against I.C.E. by Rosalia Torres-Weiner

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8.  Uprising against I.C.E. by Rosalia Torres-Weiner

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source: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/anacostia-community-museum-s-newest-exhibition-examines-explosive-latinx-growth-four-gatewa

The colors used in this art piece are very grey and dark and I think that it captures the darkness of the violence I.C.E. imposes on communities. There is a lot of symbolism and pain that this piece represents through expressions and people represented in the image as well.

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source: https://sites.utexas.edu/queerandtransvoices/2021/07/differed-action/

This art piece speaks to a lot of issues against police violence and separation. I think specifically it focuses on the deportations that the Obama administration did. Visually it also puts faces to people who are undocumented and it creates a vulnerable setting.

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6. Hoping to Survive, Afghanistan (2019) -  Razieh Gholami

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6. Hoping to Survive, Afghanistan (2019) -  Razieh Gholami

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source: https://artzine.com/articles/activist-art-the-power-of-art-to-change-the-world

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source: https://powertotheposter.com/posters/abolish-ice

I have loved this poster image for a few years now because it focuses less on the violence that undocumented people face with I.C.E and instead focuses on the love and connection people have with family. This poster reiterates the image that families are separated because of deportations and because of violent institutions like I.C.E.

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4. “Mi Casa No Es Su Casa” by Arantza Peña Popo

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4. “Mi Casa No Es Su Casa” by Arantza Peña Popo

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source: https://voxatl.org/tag/vox-investigates/page/6/

In this artwork, I felt really moved by it because the art represents a lack of belonging or “home” in both the home country that the girl is fleeing from and the United States where she is seeking asylum. The emphasis on protests that are fighting to deport people also illustrates the violence and dehumanization that many citizens have towards undocumented people.

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source: https://www.davidsongalleries.com/collections/artemio-rodriguez

This art piece stood out to me through the message it is portraying. The American Dream is sort of beating down on the man meanwhile he is struggling to move on thinking of his loved one. I think there is a lot to discuss on it as well, especially the people who are around him also struggling. The symbolism of the sun as the United States is also really interesting. I also think his artwork is moving because it is simple black and white which can also provide symbolism.

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Source : https://www.juliosalgadoart.com/

Julio’s artwork really stands out to me because it is very simple but adds a lot of dimension to it because it connects undocumented status with pop culture and identity. I also love the colors that he used and how straightforward his art can be because it contrasts a lot of other artwork that we have seen. A lot of his artwork also emphasizes his queer identity and I think that it is creating a safe space for the LGBTQ/queer undocumented community.

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1. "sick in 'america'" by Alan Pelaez Lopez

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1. "sick in 'america'" by Alan Pelaez Lopez

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source: https://vinylpoetryandprose.com/2017/11/alan-c-pelaez-lopez/#:~:text=sick%20in%20%E2%80%9Camerica%E2%80%9D&text=how%20do%20i%20tell%20myself,have%20post%20traumatic%20stress%20disorder.

I chose Alan’s work because I have already been moved by their poems and stories that they shared and I felt that it connects to the topic of “illegal imaginaries.” Their work also really emphasizes intersectional social issues like racism, classism, and more. Their art captures the struggling identities that shape them not only being undocumented but also as a queer black individual.

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before the crossing1 our family could understand the whispers of the water2. we bathed our cuerpos morenos as if we we were holy [...]