Desconocida

2004
Mixed Media on Canvas
36" x 24"

Desconocidas or "Unknown Women" is the term often applied to the victims of the violence that has been taking place over the last decade in the border town of Juarez, Mexico. Many women have gone missing and the found bodies are seldom identified. Some women have been found mutilated with their limbs or other parts cut off.

As a border town, maquilas or sweatshops of foreign corporations have sprung up all over Juarez after the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). As a a result many women have flocked to Juarez from other parts of Mexico in search of jobs so that they may send money back home to their families. In many cases young girls lie about their age so that they may obtain work. Along with this rise in the population of the border town, has been a significant increase in violence against women including kidnappings, rapes and murders.

With "Desconocida" I wanted to create a graphic image that would express the outrage over the scale of these crimes and the number of victims and that would specifically bring to light the violence which women endure and the failure of the "justice" system to solve the cases, inform families and find the culprits. This lack of efficiency in the treatment of sexual violence speaks to the continued patriachy in our societies.

The background is painted brown to symbolize the sand of the desert in which many of the victim's bodies are found. Collaged images taken from articles on the subject are juxtaposed with maps of various US/ Mexico border towns. The use of the torso goes back to a motif found in my other paintings, particularly "Venus" where the female torso is used as a platform on which to discuss violence against women. Also used here is the concept of martyrdom as presented in the depictions of Jesus nailed to a cross. The figure is attached to a cross to represent the sacrifice of women but also the crucifixtion and murder of the victims. Barbed wire is what holds the torso tightly on the cross. The barbed wired around the stump of her neck is reminiscent of Jesus' thorny crown and the image of the cross on her chest, symbolizing one of the victims, is reminiscent of the sacred heart image-- a technique that I also use in the "Delbert Africa" and "Angel Guardián" paintings. On her belly is a quote written by one of my favorites, Chicana lesbian feminist Cherrie Moraga. It reads: "We have always bled with our veins and legs open to forces beyond our control." The way in which it's written was inspired by accounts I had read where some of the victims were found with initials carved into their flesh. I wrote Moraga's quote in red, as blood as though it were written with a blade because I feel her words perfectly convey the struggle of women of color living in a violent, patriachal society.