One of the common weapon in the extremist political / religious toolbox is that of demonising others. It’s a tool which has been used for both political and religious gain pretty much throughout history: making the “others” appear dangerous, alien and a source of fear. or something to be removed or eradicated.
Currently in the United States and Western Europe, the weapon of demonisation is very much one of the tools of choice of the Right, wielded in an attempt to instil fear and worry among citizens and leverage that fear into power. Invented and manipulated crises are created, falsehood levelled, and more. Currently in the US, much is being made of a so-called “crisis” at the southern border, which not only over-dramatizes and misleads on the influx of illegals and drugs, it also paints Mexico, as America’s southern neighbour, as a country entirely given over to the shovelling of said illegals and drugs across the border as fast as possible.
It is a depiction that is greatly divorced from reality, and it does a huge disservice to a country as rich in heritage, culture, music, architecture and so on as might be found anywhere in the United States. And to remind us all of this, Maximus W North (MaxNorthern) presents Border Archetypes, a small, engaging and richly furnished selection of photographs intended to reveal something of the realities of the people south of “the border” and directly contrast these realities with the hate-led rhetoric from the American political Right when it comes to the people of Mexico.
In this, and in introducing the collection, Max is (correctly) unapologetic in pointing the finger and making facts plain:
Hey, vatos locos (crazy dudes), think you’ve got the border all figured out just ’cause you caught some headlines on Fox News or CNN? You really believe we’re just peeking out the window, making bets on what migrant can dodge “la migra” (Border Patrol) the fastest? Or that we’re all out here hustling shady deals… (quickly hides his car trunk from view)?
Drugs and migrants don’t define us. What crosses the border isn’t what the border is all about. Sure, they bring heavy law enforcement, check the border wall. Full of agents. What passes through here brings a rough rep, thanks to the channels you watch. But they also leave behind beautiful, strange, exotic bits of culture that shape our identity on both sides. This exhibit showcases images from Tijuana-San Diego, Juarez-El Paso, and Laredo-Nuevo Laredo—sister cities separated by either the desert or the tiny Rio Grande, which isn’t so grand, by the way.
– From the introduction to Border Archetypes
Within this exhibition, hosted by Carelyna at her excellent ArtCare Gallery, Max presents us with photos of actual people living along the border – some of them people he knows personally – offering us a glimpse into their lives both visually and through supplied notecards (click the small triangles on the floor in front of each image to receive a card).
These are raw photographs in that they are offered as taken and without and post-processing or other digital play (although they might be possibly cropped a little) – and Max admits to taken at least one whilst somewhat the worse for having enjoy a certain amount of wine along the way! As such, they are rich a a natural flow of life and mood; the people in them are real, not because they have been captured on film or digitally, but because there has been no attempt to professional frame or pose; we seen them as they are – relatable human beings, driven by the same creativity, the same brightness of mood or pensiveness of thought as marks each of us.
Or to be more succinct (and following Walt Kelly in playing on the words of Oliver Hazard Perry): we are shown the lives of “others” – and they are ours.
As a debut exhibition from a long-time patron of the arts in Second Life, Border Archetypes is small, but speaks with a clear voice. Do take the opportunity to see it and read Max’s words in hi introductory note card (which includes a lot of worthwhile links) and those accompanying the pictures.
SLurl Details
- Border Archetypes, ArtCare Gallery (Emotion, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 