“Who Are You?” by Nabil Gonzalez

2021
Monotype printing, Xerox transfer, charcoal, collage and sand
12.25″ x 11.50″ x 2.25″

Documenting, discussing, and revealing social issues in the border region is a part of my artistic process. This group of work is a commentary on border detention camps for immigrants and the injustices they face while in custody. Through my work, I strive to touch on memory and identity erasure, both metaphorically and literally through imagery and process manipulation. The repetition here is meant to emphasize the sheer number of immigrants affected and the magnitude of the problem. I intend to seductively draw in the viewer with immediate visual beauty while simultaneously positioning them as the abuser as I challenge their perspectives towards the subject at hand. Through my use of imagery, repetition, and materials, I want to push boundaries and raise awareness. Mostly, I intend to have the viewer take responsibility as an active member of society by triggering their senses and exposing the unexpected, embedding a message in the viewer’s mind, and transforming their reality.