LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Part performance, part public installation, these site specific blocks of ice were placed gorilla style. With the help of my father, we loaded up his old truck and drove off to 12 locations in the IE where my people were kidnapped. No warnings or label information was provided alongside them, just 100 lbs of ice placed on the ground; the same blocks most food cart vendors use for their raspados.

Throughout the next couple of hours, I drove back to document the progression of their melting process. With no context alongside them, people were allowed to do with them as they pleased. Some of the pieces were smashed while others were completely removed. Despite it only taking us a couple of minutes to place them and drive off, it took about 6 hours for the pieces to fully melt. It made me think about the parallels with actual I.C.E. How the fear lingers for much longer than 6 hours in the local communities. How families are nervous to step outside and get groceries even though there is no officer in site.

These ice blocks were used as a way for me to capture the pain and fear many people from my community are feeling without the need to continue exploiting the suffering of Black and Brown bodies. I understand the significance of documenting when these raids are happening. These images and videos can be extremely helpful to inform the general public on such atrocities as well as help the victim's families seek justice. I've been reading Susan Sontag's 'On Photography' essays and she speaks a lot about the power of photography. It got me thinking a lot about the ethics revolving documentation. Who are these images for? Who benefits from these images? To what extent can the subject consent to the images? So when I see images spreading of people kidnapped, I often wonder if the person is aware of where their image and likeness is being used. Are they aware of how the image is being used and what ideology it may be spreading? When I see some of these images, my heart breaks because I think to myself 'thats someone's father, mother, son, daughter, grandparents, etc. Thats someone's life that is being spread for thousands if not millions to witness'.

Once again with the help of my father, we placed 3 large blocks throughout downtown Riverside; the Cheech museum, Main Street, and the court house.

The smaller blocks of ice were where people were kidnapped. These larger 300lb blocks of ice were strategically placed in locations where I.C.E. was not present. Instead, they were placed in locations where people were forced to be confronted with the atrocities that are occurring.

Similar to the last time, these were all placed gorilla style. The only difference now being the size and the wooden pallet pedestals. My dad, being the ever so talented craftsman, built these frames from discarded pallets and projects from construction sites. A simulacrum of working bodies, a concept of labor with no direct reference point. On the front of each, I wrote the words "LIFE" "LIBERTY" "& THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS" upside down.

I chose to publicly display the works on July 3rd as this was 4th of July eve and arts walk day (lots of people come out to walk through downtown to see the art vendors and checkout the free museum day). These large blocks take much longer than 6 hours to melt. In fact, they were not fully melted until the very next day.

I was thinking a lot about the absurdity of seeing a large block of ice on your walk. How this can be seen as an eye sore for some who wish to keep walking about their day to day without wanting to think about such subject matter. When I was in the concept phase, I had considered placing these larger ice blocks in the locations where people were kidnapped instead of the smaller blocks. I ultimately decided against it as these larger blocks are a lot more confrontational and aggressive compared to the smaller more intimate blocks. I thought it would be a bit cruel to place large monoliths in locations where people were taken since it would be painful reminder of the brothers and sisters they just lost. Our community is already deeply aware of what is happening and they don't need to be reminded or triggered going to places where they are already frightened to go to. Na, I want to leave the spooking and uncomfortable feelings to the affluent, white, and ignorant folks who need to be made aware. These blocks of ice shouldn't be here and neither should I.C.E..

Only a handful of people knew I had made the work, one of those was my good friend Vita Kari. They were curating a group show in Santa  Monica titled "UNSORRY" and had asked me if I would be interested in displaying the photograph documentations. I was flattered and taken back as I truly had no intentions of this living within the context of a white gallery space.

My only request was that I needed to place another large block of ice outside the gallery. I mean come on, a gallery walking distance from Santa Monica pier?? This was exactly where these large sculpture performances were meant to be. Inside the gallery, I stacked the two remaining pallets on top of one another and leaned them along the wall with. I printed out the image of the ice blocks outside of Home Depot and then wheat pasted the image onto two wooden boards from my childhood bed frame.

When the large ice blocks had melted away, they left a white powdery stain on the surfaces of the wooden pallets. I thought it was quite poetic how something as ephemeral as ice melting can still leave behind a trace, a memory, a stain, a history. I chose to highlight these marks for people to observe and be reminded that if you look hard enough you can see the scars that time could never heal. 

In addition to the ice block, image, and pallets, I also wanted to do a performance alongside the artworks. For that I did two versions, one alone in the gallery and another one during the opening reception. I wore an all white outfit, with red boots and a red alligator cowboy hat. The performance began with me putting on a rosary I had frozen with red dye. Once placed over my heart, the ice began to melt and appear as if I was bleeding out. I did not speak until the ice was fully melted.

I was thinking a lot about fashion as a form of expression. The look and performance was heavily inspired by Martin Margiela's Spring 2006 Ready-to-Wear collection. In it, he has models walk down the runway with white garments and colored ice accessories that melt and dye the garment in real time. It was meant to be more of a commentary on the production of garments, where audiences can witness its completion in real time. For me, I was interested in the idea of the passage of time and the marks that suggest said passage. The ice was only on my body for roughly 20 minutes but its stains will last for decades.

The skirt was made from multiple lace curtains sewed together, it felt almost wedding like. Perhaps thats because I am currently mourning the end of a 5 year long relationship as this is occurring. As for the alligator hat, I wore it as a reference to the horrifying concentration camp they built in Florida called "Alligator Alcatraz". My nails were clear, just the gel tip, meant to reference both the clearness of the ice blocks and the rawness of materials found throughout the work (the wood, ice, lace dress). The dress and nails were also a reference to the deconstructive nature of Margiela and demonstration of the process. Fashion is political.

This has been one of the most vulnerable and frightening pieces I've made to date. With such a heavy subject matter, I warned to make something that was well thought out and as mindful as possible. It has always rubbed me the wrong way when artists exploit tragedies to further their artists careers without considering the impact their works have on the very same communities they claim to be supporting. That is part of why I took my time to attach my name to the works. These are real stories of real people, not just a trendy subject matter. I'll continue to fight and speak on these issues throughout my works because the battle has just begun.

I really hope these raids end. In the mean time, please help out in any way you can. Support your local community first, attend protests, each out to your city councils and representatives, buy from small businesses, donate to people in need.

oh also FUCK I.C.E. and FREE PALESTINE