24x25 Wooden window frames with stain glass, mirror, and black screen printing ink
Growing up undocumented has impacted how I experience the world as an adult. I understood from a very young age that I could not live my life like other kids and that my dreams and goals had limitations. Thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, mundane dreams, like getting a job and continuing my education, became possible. But I always felt like an outsider, constantly looking into peoples lives and wondering what it is like to live without fear and without restrictions.
This attraction of gazing into peoples lives began with photographing windows. I became mesmerized with the framing of the window that created a glimpse of what a life in America could be for someone else. I am constantly drawn to the interior of windows and left with the lingering feeling of being on the exterior. The addition of these window images to the physical window panes is meant to show the viewer the types of lives I am looking into.
In this work, I brought focus to the physical window by creating each individual window pane using stained glass and screen printing. By adding color, mirror, and imagery to these pieces, my aim is to grab the viewers attention to the physical parts of the window that draw you in. I wish to place the viewer in the position of the onlooker. To have the viewer be drawn to look at the color, to see the printed images of the windows and to reflect with the panes that have mirrors. Onlooker is meant to create a space where the viewers can experience the act of gazing into someone’s life in a more intimate setting and allow them to reflect on their own actions.