This is my first attempt at an installation of multiple portraits. My usual medium is the mural because of its accessibililty and the ability to integrate collaboration in the creation process of a mural. However, my aesthetic approach to these portraits still maintain the same mural appearance. I work in large scales and use a more "raw" approach to painting the human figure.
The Composition: These portraits are meant to be viewed as a sequence, and in this way, it still maintains somewhat of a mural form. The unifying factor to all four of these pieces is the American flag. This flag weaves through all four portraits overlapping the flags of the native countries from which each person originated. But the flag also represents those ideals of justice, due process and the freedom to pursue happiness that Americans take pride in. However, it is those exact ideals that our current immigration policies dishonor by denying people their right to due process and ignoring a person's need for a dignified life while still profiting of their labor.
But the flag also represents the integration of these migrant's lives into the fabric of our nation. Aside from the obvious financial contributions that come from their labor and services, these people also contribute culturally, politically and academically to our society. Through the experience of sacrifice and struggle, the histories of these migrants offer a true glimpse of that "American Dream" that so many Americans have lost sight of because of the racist, patriarchal and nativist perspectives that create blind and ignorant policies.
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