Lisa Elmaleh: Tierra Prometida
Jessica Wolff: The New Mestiza

Two Photographers Depict Stories of Migration and Immigration in the U.S. Today

On view Sept 12–Oct 13, 2024

Opening Reception:
Thurs, Sept 12, 2024, 6:00–8:00 pm

THE GALLERY at the Visual & Performing Arts Center
Western Connecticut State University
Westside Campus, 43 Lake Ave Extension, Danbury, CT 06811
Gallery Hours: Tues–Fri, 12–4, Sat–Sun, 1–4

Lisa Elmaleh’s photographs capture the multifaceted aspects of migration primarily along the Texas border between the U.S. and Mexico. Her work encompasses the people, landscape, migratory routes, and humanitarian efforts in the area. While conveying both empathy and urgency, her work challenges the myth of the American Dream from the perspective of the borderland environs, the individuals seeking asylum in the United States, and the volunteers and groups involved in providing essential assistance to migrants.

Jessica Wolff's photographs delve into the experience of being Mexican-American and navigating the dynamics of two cultures that often clash or contradict each other. Embracing the term "mestizos" (of mixed race), Jessica acknowledges her and her subjects' Indigenous and Spanish ancestry. Using symbols and icons from both Mexican and American history, she creates a fusion that represents a new culture, new myths, new icons, and new images, where there is no longer a strict division between Mexican and American identities, but rather the emergence of a new mestiza culture.