Mother and Child in Political Sanctuary, Adalberto United Methodist Church, Chicago, IL, July 2007, 2008
Colour digital injekt prints on paper
Image dimensions224 × 345,6 cm
About the workThe title of this work refers to both a sanctuary and a place of refuge. Here, the focus is on the story of Mexican Elvira Arellano, who sought shelter in a church in Chicago for around a year in 2006 to escape deportation and separation from her then 9-year-old son, a US citizen. Arellano was the first immigrant in the USA to publicly admit her illegal status. Andrea Bowers addresses this in the film and in the accompanying film stills: the young mother is exposed to the gaze of the viewers and at the same time withstands it. Bowers combines political commitment and artistic work to bring social, economic and ecological inequalities into focus.
AccessionGift of Florian Peters-Messer 2023
Provenance[...]; 2023 erworben durch Schenkung von Florian Peters-Messer
Inventory numberF.2024.FPM.1
