These days there’s no shortage of people making art in response to Trump’s xenophobic America and his violent impact on immigrants, but it is rarely the undocumented immigrants themselves whose work is on museum walls. For example, the 2013 exhibition “State of Exception” at the University of Michigan Institute of Humanities Gallery was inspired by anthropologist Jason De Leóns’s “Undocumented Migration Project,” a study of the violent effects of crossing the border. However, it was the work of Richard Barnes (based in New York) and Amanda Krugliak (based in Ann Arbor, Michigan), artists who responded to the fieldwork, shot video, and photographs along the border, that was on view rather than the work of immigrants who’d risked their lives. Outside of gallery walls, undocumented immigrants are more likely to be portrayed in the news as crossing the border or in custody, implying criminal actions. A study by the Norman Lear Center found that on television Asian, Black, and female immigrant characters are significantly more often portrayed as criminals or less educated. (Define American, who ran this study, is also a sponsor of Crossin’ Borders.)
Herrera, born in Veracruz, Mexico, crossed the border and came to Chicago when he was 11 years old. Now 22, he hasn’t lived anywhere else. “I started playing around with graffiti a year before I moved to the U.S. and doing more street art when I was in high school here in Chicago,” he says. Inspired by his mom, whose side-gig involved photographing drag shows for Latin nights in Boystown, he decided to become more involved with graphic design and Photoshop. He says teaching himself graphic design was another way to elevate his art practice.
“Queer Black and Brown DIY art scenes are the roots of uplifting and honoring each other’s existence,” Herrera says. Chicago queer spaces gave him the courage to accept his own queerness and to “be public about being an undocumented immigrant,” Herrera says. “I am thankful for the growth, experiences, and opportunities I found in these spaces, and the plan is to use this publication to contribute to the communities I flourished in so that other Black and Brown folk can empower themselves.” v
Issue 001 can be purchased online at crossinborders.com/bodega for $15, with 30 percent of each sale going to OCAD.
