Polaroid 1 of 4

This is one piece of a set of four from project “American Polaroid: Liberen Alos Niños” (“Free the Children”).

Each image is framed as an American Polaroid, signifying the contradictory, often antagonistic double standards that some people have toward immigrants and asylum seekers that flee from war-torn, intolerant countries. Especially when these people are brown.

The “American” part of the title represents the fact that almost everyone currently living in America has ancestors who have also migrated from other parts of the world. If we are all the “children of immigrants”, and get to call ourselves Americans, then why can’t these caged children do the same?

The “Polaroid” part of the title represents American immigration policies where some people are allowed easy entry into the US, while others are restricted similarly to how a Polaroid picture works; only processing some forms of light, while denying others.

I like to think of these as being snapshots of America’s social issues.

Medium: Oil Pastels on watercolor paper.