JUAREZ
PORQUE?
Acrylic on Canvas, 6' X 8'
Gicleé Prints available for purchase
"Cuidad
Juarez, Mexico has been wracked by a decade-long string
of serial murders in which every single victim is
female, and most are sweatshop workers. An estimated
300-400 women have been reported murdered, with another
400-1000 missing.
I painted this artwork to express my sorrow and outrage
over the murders of the innocent victims of Juarez.
The figure is laid out in a cross formation as most
victims are found. A red cloth symbolizing their violent
death is draped over her in a question mark ("Porque"
means Why in Spanish). Angel wings in the background
indicate that these innocent women are now angels
in heaven.
The
background is representative of the desert where the victim's
bodies are dumped. This work has a personal meaning for
me as well. My mother's family is from Mexicali, Mexico,
a border town rife with maquiladoras. I still have a lot
of cousins and nieces there who would face the same danger
if the Juarez disease is not contained and allowed to spread."
