El Paso, al Reves... [El Paso/The Step, Backwards], from The New Immigration
Primary
José Antonio Aguirre
(Mexico City, Mexico, 1955–)
Date1988
MediumEtching with acquatint
DimensionsSheet: 22 1/16 × 14 15/16 in. (56 × 38 cm)
Additional Dimension: 17 5/8 × 11 7/8 in. (44.8 × 30.1 cm)
Additional Dimension: 17 5/8 × 11 7/8 in. (44.8 × 30.1 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Gift of Gilberto Cárdenas, 2017.605.2
Keywords
Rights Statement
Collection AreaPrints and Drawings
Object number2017.605.2
On View
Not on viewIn 1988, Sister Karen Boccalero and Gilberto Cárdenas worked together to organize this portfolio entitled "The New Immigration" ["La nueva inmigración"], of ten etchings by five artists. The prints, sponsored by Self Help Graphics and co-published by Galería Sin Fronteras, were produced at Taller Romero in Mexico City by printer Renato Esquivel Romero. According to Cárdenas, this series pays “homage to the perseverance and dignity of the new Latino immigrants as they struggle with the transition into American society.” He has also said that they are a reminder of “the role that immigration plays in enriching the economic vitality of our society and the contributions that the immigrants and their children will have in making American society a better community for tomorrow—a community ‘sin fronteras.’” Each of the five selected artists presents a distinctive take on politics, immigration, and the border.
José Antonio Aguirre’s work is a reminder of the increasing surveillance and militarization along the border. Science fiction motifs feature prominently in "El Paso, al revés", including night-vision goggles and helicopters that appear as UFOs floating above masses of people as they cross a fence.
Exhibitions
José Antonio Aguirre
1988