Wanted
Item
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Title
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Wanted
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Description
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Wanted was created by Ester Hernandez in response to anti-immigration issues and racial profiling laws in Arizona. In the print, Hernandez pictures and describes the Virgin of Guadalupe as a criminal. Her crimes are described as helping people illegally immigrate into America and comforting them in at their time of death, “especially in the desert areas near the U.S./Mexico border.” Other descriptions allude to the Virgin of Guadalupe’s religious characteristics, such as an emanating glow and an angel by her side, yet places them in terms of criminality. Even the headline of “terrorist” and “powerful and dangerous” at first glance highlights the contradictory elements and ironic tone of the print. Under the description, the Virgin of Guadalupe is described to be of Amer-Indian race and American nationality. This underlines one of the causes for the print, the law in which a person may be stopped by police and asked for immigration papers just because the color of their skin gives them stereotyped suspicion. The Virgin of Guadalupe is used as a representation of those targeted by these laws and accents the wrong of such practices because of how she epitomizes innocence. By using the Virgin of Guadalupe on a wanted poster, the viewer is able to conceptualize the injustice to which the artist speaks. The religious figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe has been remade to expand from the role of a comforting mother, but as a representation of persecuted people. As a wanted outsider in her own country, according to the print’s description, the Virgin of Guadalupe portrays the victimized spirit of her followers yet also propels her role forward as being one who comforts and shows resilience.
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Creator
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Ester Hernandez
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Format
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Print
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Source
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http://www.esterhernandez.com
Roman-Odio. Sacred Iconographies in Chicana Cultural Productions.
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Date
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2010
