Unearthed: Desenterrado
a counter-monument for immigrant labor
March 9–June 9, 2018
A solitary 60-foot flagpole hoisting a large-scale white, cotton flag is now visible from the El Paso–Juárez horizon. Embroidered on either side of the flag is the illustration of a “Mexican” golden eagle and an “American” bald eagle, each emblematic of their respective nation’s patriotism. This site-specific artwork, created by Texas-based artist and Black Cube Fellow, Adriana Corral, stands as a counter-monument for Rio Vista Farm in Socorro, Texas, the last standing processing center for the Bracero Program.
The Bracero Program, first established by the federal government during World War II, is one of the largest foreign worker programs in U.S. history. Between 1951 and 1964, the Rio Vista Farm processed more than 80,000 Mexican workers per year. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Bracero Program is described by many as a period of “legalized slavery.”
Cortney Lane Stell, Black Cube’s Executive Director + Chief Curator, believes that “by calling attention to this overlooked part of U.S. history, Corral’s work endeavors to stand as an acknowledgement of unknown human rights violations, as well as to inspire deeper conversations about our history—and future—of border control along the U.S.–Mexico border.”
Corral’s decision to fabricate the flag from cotton directly relates to immigrant labor and the Rio Vista Farm, land surrounded by acres of cotton fields. Moreover, the flag is near where U.S. and Mexico unification flags once stood, “welcoming” Mexican immigrants to the facility more than fifty years ago.
“This project emphasizes the importance of recognizing and confronting the voids within our American history,” Corral adds.
Unearthed: Desenterrado will be on display at Rio Vista Farm until June. During the three-month exhibition, Corral’s flag will become tattered and worn due to inclement weather. After its display in Socorro, the flag will be exhibited in museums and cultural institutions across the U.S.
Corral’s project is made possible by Black Cube’s Artist Fellowship program. Black Cube is a nonprofit nomadic contemporary art museum, based in Denver, Colorado. The institution is built to follow artists’ ideas, whilst supporting ambitious projects that develop their practice. Furthermore, by bringing art outside of the traditional white cube, Black Cube endeavors to place experimental art projects in the public realm and hope to encourage diverse, and sometimes unexpected, experiences with contemporary art. By bringing these critical elements together and nurturing them in tandem, Black Cube aims to position artists for a successful and longstanding career.
About Adriana Corral
Adriana Corral is based in Texas. Her installations, performances, and sculptures embody universal themes of loss, human rights violations, concealment, and memory. Corral employs a rigorous research-based practice where anthropologists, writers, journalists, gender scholars, human rights attorneys, and victims provide her with the foundation for her works.
About Black Cube
Black Cube is a nonprofit, nomadic contemporary art museum. At Black Cube, we see ourselves as an unconventional museum pursuing the most effective ways to engage new audiences while supporting artists’ sustainability. Without the traditional boundaries of a physical building, Black Cube is experienced primarily through pop-up art exhibitions conceived by our Artist Fellows. Find out more at www.blackcube.art.
