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“The people in Immigrant Movement, they are using art to empower themselves.”
On the occasion of MoMA’s presentation of Tania Bruguera’s landmark work Untitled (Havana, 2000), we are taking a look at another of her powerful activist works, Immigrant Movement International, presented by Creative Time and the Queens Museum of Art, from 2011 to 2015 in Corona, Queens.
From Art21:
This Art21 Exclusive series episode features Immigrant Movement International (IMI), an ongoing project initiated by artist Tania Bruguera in 2010, located in Corona, Queens, New York. IMI functions as a community space where art and education are used to empower immigrants personally and politically. Bruguera says that by engaging with contemporary art “[immigrants] understand how to work from their fear and the limitations they put on themselves once they enter this country.”
Artist Aliza Nisenbaum, who taught an English class at IMI using art, painted portraits of her students. “A lot of these women are people that hide in some way,” says Nisenbaum. “I was trying to give a sense of agency to the women that were here in terms of finding their voice, in terms of art, and in terms of basic English skills.” Members of Tletlpapalotzin, an Aztec dance group, perform a traditional ceremony at IMI’s Community Celebration Day and discuss their experiences as immigrants living in New York City. “For me being in a ceremony gives me the strength to go forward day to day,” says Tletlpapalotzin member Ana Ramirez. “It gives me pleasure to work together with my family of the Tletlpapalotzin group.”
