Visions From The Inside (2): De Luna

Artist statement: “The imagery is about the idea of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, detention and deportation, symbolized by the two different kinds of fences and how difficult it can be navigate the paperwork and legalities of the prison/immigration system.  I chose the razor wire halo because it’s part of my visual vocabulary and it symbolizes the idea that [the detainee] is a kind of martyr of the detention system. Behind the detainee is a prison watch tower which becomes a kind of chapel over his head. His face is a calavera because again, he’s a martyr but it’s also a play on the idea of Habeas Corpus which is a statute that has been gutted in order to deny people their due process. The title of the work is Habeas Corpse, and it’s a satirical commentary on our broken immigration/prison system.  I was trying to address his intersectionality of being a prisoner but also an immigrant.” -Celeste De Luna