grotesque blossoming of Alligator Alcatraz merch<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis year, make your gift count \u2013
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This is why Dulce, who sees her process as part of a \u201cspecific language of cultural relationship, of spirituality, of origin and tradition, of honoring and reverence,\u201d chose to frame her sprawling, meticulously curated, mostly organic altar piece \u201cUntitled (A Hope Is but a Dream Is but a Plan Put to Action)\u201d with a series of mirrors to \u201cencourage reflection and to try to bring awareness to our own personal responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important, even as we welcome all this amazing art from elsewhere, that we also elevate local artists and causes,\u201d Dulce says. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone wants Art Week to fall into patterns of exploitation or luxury escapism or consumption. But that\u2019s what can occur if we aren\u2019t intentional about highlighting both the beautiful aspects and challenges of the culture here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To say Alligator Alcatraz falls under the \u201cchallenges\u201d heading would be an understatement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The facility exists in the gray zone between state and federal government oversight, and the lack of accountability, as Amnesty\u2019s report outlines based on a September visit to the facility, is shocking. The account alleges detainees contend with dirty water, poor food, lack of access to lawyers, constant lockdown conditions, and \u201cthe box,\u201d which Fischer explains \u201cis a two-foot-by-two-foot cage where individuals are put for punishment, shackled at their wrists and legs, chained to the ground, and forced to stand outside in the sun for hours at a time without food or without water \u2014 something tantamount to torture under international law.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is, in short, both emblematic of the horrors of the immigration detention system writ large and an escalation of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For James, it is a new chapter in a very long story. He began painting in 2014 after reading George Orwell\u2019s 1984 and having an epiphany that art might be one of the few things potent enough to prevent the book from becoming more of a reality than it already is. For the Amnesty exhibit, he conjured a graffiti-inspired mixed media piece that juxtaposes \u201cclassic\u201d state propaganda iconography and Birth of a Nation-esque lionization of systemic and cultural racism with the reality of the violence and repression that naturally, inexorably flows from it, tracing a throughline from Seminole warriors and Native American removal atrocities to current-day immigration policies. (See, for example, the \u201cNo Trespassing\u201d sign intertwined with a portrait of Christopher Columbus.)\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically, from birth, images are so essential to how we form our worldview,\u201d James says. \u201cIt\u2019s all about how we choose to channel that power. Some are obviously using it for purposes of control and certain other agendas. For me, as an artist, I want to try to use my work to encourage people to open their minds and hearts; to build empathy for others\u2019 lives and experiences. I want to grab people\u2019s attention, but not for no reason, you know? I want them to take notice and be drawn in enough to think a little deeper about what\u2019s happening around them.\u201d<\/p>\n
A steady stream of engaged and curious onlookers seems to validate James\u2019 approach. Several even signed the nearby petition to shut down Alligator Alcatraz \u2014 from the shadow coming to the light.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to create a bridge between different kinds of lived experiences, personalities, cultures, and backgrounds, and see it result in real action?\u201d Dulce says, watching James explain his work to two middle-aged women. \u201cThat\u2019s like a big thing for me. This feels like we\u2019re getting it right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCruelty Is Their Point \u2014 But Another World\u00a0Is Possible.\u201d 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sunday, December 7, at Booth #F011 at Scope Pavilion, 801 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach.<\/p>\n
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