April 30 - May 14, 2021
Solo Exhibition By Alicia Lores
The Great Migration is a photographic series which explores xenophobia and fetishizing of Hispanic, particularly Cuban, women in America. This exhibition showcases how women are scrutinized and made to feel like they don’t belong due to their heritage.
The Great Migration is a photographic series which reflects the dehumanization that immigrants face in the U.S. I decided to make these photos a dissection of the elements of my body while using phrases that have been used against me or other Cuban immigrants, particularly women. This show is meant to spark discussions and reflection over the constant struggle of immigrants when it comes to fitting into American society. I particularly wanted to showcase the Cuban experience due to my own heritage. I find great irony in how Cubans were manipulated and deceived by tyrants, only to escape and become silenced by a country that promised us freedom. However, this essence of The Great Migration’s concept can be applied to the experience of many immigrants and racial minorities, not just those of Cuban origin.
Author Sabine T. Kriebel describes photomontage as a medium that became quite promising in marketing and advertising when it first began. In one of his writings he states that “as a ‘modern’ idiom that stimulated the eye and incorporated witty text, photomontage animated the visual stasis of a photograph, combining eye-catching graphics and a marketable reality effect in a single image.” I believe these elements to be present in this series, as a main part of my message relies on the fact that immigrant stereotypes and racist messages leading to the oppression of minorities are often propagated by the media and nationalist propaganda.
ALICIA LORES is a Cuban multimedia artist, focusing primarily on photography and graphic design. As an activist for diversity and social justice, her work focuses on social ideologies and issues pertaining to identity, immigration, and the juxtaposition between what humans consider normal and abnormal. Alicia’s goal is to create artworks that portray a new and interesting perspective on what the audience believed to be simple or unimportant. She just graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art Studies and will be pursuing her master’s degree in Mass Communications this upcoming fall.
alicialores.com