Desires, Wishing, and Being Stuck (on being undocumented)
The ‘threat’ of immigration has loomed as a political dog whistle of the right and left across the media, our recent Presidential election, and in the minds of those making the trekking the violent unknown to come to this country. How might we challenge the legal and imaginary of being in a place to better comprehend the humanity behind every person categorized as ‘undocumented,’ ‘illegal,’ or ‘alien’?
Wishes arise as a medium to imagine and the materiality of that imaginary is based on place, or a distinction be separate from the place one is already. Desire becomes a memento of those parts of ourselves that quest for more, the self-ego projects itself – at scale and as mediated through social organization– into who, or what it wishes to be or have. For some it is ephemera, and for others it is the physical comfort of safety, the opportunity to make oneself, and most of all, peace.
While separate, but adjacent in thematic appeal, Wishing and Why are you so stuck on being undocumented? converge for ExhibitKirkland 3rd Opening to explore themes of immigration status, personal hopes, the conditioning of what we want to pursue, and most of all, the violence of being in between a wish and a reality.
Wishing
installation
Wishes and desires stem from the conditioned nature of will, arising from the mind’s habitual tendencies and shaped by experiences and underlying mental formations. As the tension between the conscious and subconscious lures beneath, the mind attempts to unfold the network of known and unknown forces in which the wishes operate.
The stacking of cast wax cylinders in space consolidates such a will into a tangible environment, where the act of wishing and the interconnectedness of individual wishes materialize with nuance. Figures are drawn toward one another, forming chance arrangements and sets that challenge gravity, while more prominent figures accumulate precariously, on the brink of collapse or the utterance of longing.
Yu Yu, MDes ‘25,
Dear Liu, MArch ‘28
Why are you so stuck on being undocumented?
multimedia installation
To be documented, to do without thinking ahead. To laugh without pain, to be… It is not a luxury for a person who is undocumented. Being undocumented comes with more than court proceedings and the official stamp of removal. It comes with constant fear. Fear of being found out, fear of being othered, fear of belonging. Not knowing when it is okay or not okay to act like a normal person. Not knowing the difference between living with fear and fearing to live.
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This installation focuses on the relationship between past and present, revealing blocked out court documents that condemn a person to the life of being undocumented. The mylar emergency blanket serves as a canvas for the documents to be imposed onto, signifying the weight that something as simple as a piece of paper has on the life of an individual.
While the project is complete, in part, the study of being undocumented continues and objects, drawings, films, and audio are still being produced by the artist.
