week 9: artist presentations_artwork response

An artwork that caught my attention in class from my classmate’s artist presentation is a print titled “migra” (2013) created by Natalia Anciso. This print shows an ICE agent walking past a dead body on the floor. The agent is looking down at the floor where the body is lying. His sight aligns with where the face of the person on the floor should be. The face of the person on the ground has flowers covering the face. The flowers seem to be bursting from the ground and blooming. These have vibrant colors and seem full of life. The person on the ground and the ICE agent are not colored; they are both gray. This reminds me of the way statues are usually displayed at different art museums. They do not have color and seem to be in moving motion, but they also seem to stay still as if they were in a photograph. This image captures the reality happening in the present. Immigrants die while attempting to cross the border. Some of the leading causes include heat stroke, dehydration, and hyperthermia, according to sources. Another cause of death is due to the abuse of force from the border patrol agents. The print speaks about this issue happening to Latino immigrants. The agent walks by the body on the ground as if it were nothing important, but the vibrant colors of the flowers speak for themselves. They place the most importance on the person who seems to have passed away. They reflect life even though the person has lived a short life. The image serves as a protest against the injustices happening at the border.