In 2018 I produced a series of intaglios (zinc plates) on the refugee crisis. Mass migration due to war and natural disasters was stressing the resources of many countries. Politicians seized on this crisis to take authoritarian power and fan the flames of fear of the “other.” The image for this piece depicting a swimmer during a thunderstorm came to me intuitively. The dangers of swimming during an electrical storm, refugees swimming miles in the Mediterranean Sea only to be turned back or blocked from entering a country. They leave their homes not willingly but out of desperation. Now we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic which makes visible the disparities between people with adequate income and stability and those who struggle, especially people of color in the U.S. This piece is about struggle for life, doing whatever it takes to move forward, even under dangerous conditions. The brutal murder of George Floyd in my city, in Minnesota has instigated rightful protests, chaos, riots and a cry for justice. Black Lives Matter. A Global Movement is born. Never ever give up.
