Sangrado Frenado

A response to an open call for artwork from Latin Outreach, Unity, and Development to fill a multidisciplinary exhibition at Kingston City Hall

I had the great privilege to be born in Queens, New York, and receive two citizenships at birth: American and Uruguayan. I had more of a connection to Queens and New York than either of those nationalities. The idea of moving away from the place I was born and raised, the place I knew like my own backyard, was a non-starter for me earlier in my life. Of course, this changed when I became a father. The difference in quality of life for my child suppressed any trepidation about moving, but it was still an emotional exit. Now, I am also privileged in that I face very little barriers to visit, physical and financial, which stands in stark contrast to the experience of the people leaving what is now called Latin America for what is now called the United States. To leave a place you call home and make for new lands takes courage, patience, and dedication. For some, the way back is filled with obstacles that will never be surmounted. This echoes across eons to our ancestors, the first people on this continent who crossed a bridge that is now drowned. As we do now, they left their settlements on the land at the expense of the natural world, but also developed in more harmony than we do. Because of their efforts we have corn, tomatoes, peppers, and many other foods now taken for granted due to the suppression imposed by European settlers of the same land. Even as our planet rebels against our collective exploitation of resources we demand even more, and this lead me to title the piece Sangrado Frenado. The legacy left can be one of renewal and strength or, if left unchecked, of tragedy and pain.