Artwork Description
The Borders of Silence
Dimensions: 11 x 14
Year:
Media: acrylic paint on wood
“No one is unaware of what is happening at the Mexican-American border nowadays. The president of the American people is constantly addressing what is happening in fake detail and demonizing the people that try to come onto American soil with hope of a better life. The people that come suffer from lack of food and water and must fight to survive against harsh weather. As a descendant of immigrants, this issue is very much present in my life and I’ve seen the effects it has firsthand. This piece represents a young girl torn between her two homes; Mexico, and the U.S. She has her visible eye closed and her hair is covering most of her face to show her in a sort of silenced stage where her thoughts are going wild with the wind blowing her hair. Although the character is silenced, the difference of landscape behind her and the two flags unequally draped on her shoulders are there to symbolize subtle differences between the two worlds. Although this painting may seem like it’s demonstrating a peaceful silence at first, the viewer will later find that this is the calm before the storm and the character is filtering her thoughts before letting everything explode in a large scream.” Daisy Gutierrez