Monument for Immigrants (In Advance of an ICE Raid)
2020
Artificial rock; faux bronze plaque;
cell phone; legal information; bottle of water; security box; wood; and steel
61 × 63 × 48 inches
Curator: Jess Wilcox. A project commissioned for the MONUMENTS NOW exhibition at Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY.
Reminiscent of the common boulder-with-plaque historic markers common across parks nationwide, Monument for Immigrants (In Advance of an ICE Raid) explores ideas of visibility both in terms of public monuments and human rights as it pertains to citizenship. In response to recent raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Monument for Immigrants provides a utilitarian escape hatch for undocumented people to enter and safely hide inside. Inside the shelter are water, a cell phone and legal information.
The plaque features the poem, “Immigrant” by Indian-born Canadian poet Rupi Kaur, and offers a concise perspective of displacement that is part and parcel of the immigrant experience.