“Torn Apart”
"Torn Apart" July 2020 / 24"in. x 20"in. Charcoal and Graphite on paper
I want you to stare in her eyes and see the pain she’s in. I want you to see her mental health being destroyed and innocence taken from her. I want you to think of a child in your family and imagine them being in a cage full of strangers. In a cage where she’s taking care of herself...she can’t speak yet so if someone touches her inappropriately nobody will know. If she has to use the bathroom she does it in the same place she sleeps and doesn’t have a change of clothes. They have no beds, just a cold concrete floor. You don’t even know if she’s eating enough to survive. Now put yourself in their position and compare it to how well you have it. Like I said she can’t speak yet...so we must be their voice. ALL those children’s and broken families voice. Talk about this uncomfortable topic, because we must protect ALL children, even those we can not see.
Artist Statement
With “Torn Apart” I wanted to fully explain why it is the way it is. I personally had a hard time creating it, I was in tears while drawing because of how much it means to me. As a mother and a Latina this piece feels personal. I couldn’t imagine my child being in this position, unable to defend herself or even have a say as to where she’s sent or nobody to care for her. I didn’t want to imagine it, but as an artist you have to physically put your heart into it, which I believe I did. This little girl became my daughter, I created her. I couldn’t draw her trapped in a cage, therefore the metal fence lines fade as they close into her head. After I created the fading lines she then looked as if she was in bigger pain, almost like sharp metal tips. It truly is up to the viewer to decide is the fence closing in on her and hurting her? Or her faith in getting out causing the fence to fade? As for the figures in the background, are they other children and migrant families trapped in the detention centers? Or are they regular people protesting and standing up to protect her? Or are they the asylum seekers that have died trying to come to the U.S. for a safer life. As for the signs and the paragraph that goes along with it, I needed to challenge the viewers with questions and if this is truly a humane way to treat people and how together we can all make a change.
Source
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-116hhrg37284/html/CHRG-116hhrg37284.htm