No Olvidado (Not Forgotten), No. 7
2010
The work is displayed as part of the permanent exhibition
Drawings
Graphite on paper
304.8 x 128.27 cm
The work was realized in the framework of the series EMST Commissions 2011 with the kind support of Bombay Sapphire gin
Inv. No. 677/10
In Andrea Bowers’ universe, the purpose of art is not merely aesthetic; for her, art is a means for the promotion of her political agenda, a form of social activism through which she becomes able to speak out about the socio-political issues that concern her. One of her common practices is what could be called the “humanization” of the problems she deals with. Out of the anonymous masses, Bowers chooses to focus her attention on figures of activists and victims, thus highlighting the human dimension of ideological or political conflicts.Her work No Olvidado (Not Forgotten), 2010, consists of drawings that are monumental in scale. In these, Bowers inscribes the names of the people who died trying to cross the Mexican-American border. The list of names is covered with barbed wire. Bowers drew and printed both the names and the pattern of the barbed wire on vinyl. Then, she placed the vinyl on white paper, applied graphite on the entire surface and removed the vinyl, leaving the white imprint of the pattern on the paper. The choice of fragile and inexpensive materials is intentional in that it echoes the way in which the establishment views the lives of all those who died on the other side of the border trying to find better life: vulnerable lives; lives that do not matter. Bower’s work is as timely as ever, especially considering the Republicans’ bigoted rhetoric and Trump’s announcements on the US intention to build a wall along the Mexican border —announcements that alert us to the consequences of the US immigration policy. No Olvidado acts as a memorial in honour of the invisible victims. Unlike most memorials, this one will include an ever incomplete list, and will remain so ad infinitum, no matter how many names are added. In the video Ni Una Muerte Mas (Border Angels), 2011, human rights activist and founder of the “Border Angels” organisation, Enrique Morones, who collaborated with Bowers on No Olvidado (Not Forgotten) providing the list of names of the dead immigrants, speaks about the organisation’s work.
Anna Mykoniati, text from the catalogue of the permanent exhibition ENTER EMSΤ. Collection & History, A short guide, 2020