Brought from Home is a two-part photo-documentary project that focuses on the stories behind treasured items brought by Latino immigrants living in NYC from their homeland. The importance and sentimental value of these preserved items is at the heart of the documentary as these treasures symbolize the roots we hold to our motherland. In early 2021, thanks to The Queens Council on the Arts I received a grant to expand this project to photograph the items carried by migrants in the U.S./Mexico border during their current journey into the United States.
This project gives viewers a closer and more intimate look on immigration and the meaning of home.
*Completed project and exhibition: Spring 2023*
Peru - My father's passport, obtained on May 14th, 1980.
Peru - Left - My father at 18 years old in military school in Lima, Peru.. Center- My father's military ID card. Right - Photograph of my father's military graduation day; his mother giving him his riffle.
I introduce this project with the above images of items that my father brought back from Lima, Peru in 1980. My father passed away in May 2020, from Covid -19, and his interview was not possible. However, the items my father kept for 40 years symbolize the connection immigrants have to their homeland until their very last breath.
This project is done in his name, as he paved the way for me and my family to be here today.
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From Peru - Lives in New York City since 1992
Owl and turtle ornaments purchased in 1982 when her oldest son was born. When packing for her journey to the United States, this was one of the first few things she put her in her luggage.
From Ecuador - Lives in New York City since 1995
Her mother's sweater. It was known that the journey through the desert was cold during the night, so her mother insisted she take a sweater that belonged to her. She wore the sweater throughout the entire journey with her then 7-year-old daughter. When the group of migrants she was traveling with were told to leave everything behind, she left it all, except her mother's sweater.
From Guatemala - Refugee/Migrant center in Tijuana, Mexico
Twenty-one year old holding two necklaces. One was given by her biological mother when she turned 18 and graduated high school. The other necklace was given by her mother's friend (another mother figure in her life) whom she is journeying to the United States with. She is coming to the United States in hopes of attending college and having a career. Something she could not do in Guatemala.
From Mexico - Refugee/Migrant center in Tijuana, Mexico
A prayer card from Our Lady of Acahuato from Michoacan, Mexico. He has a lot of faith in prayer cards and has always carried one with him. He found this one in a drawer before embarking in his journey. He is journeying to the United States with his wife and two kids for a better future for their children. Both parents want their children to have a better education and the life they deserve.