Untitled (Nuestra Sonora del Rosario)
2019
Several theories exist as to the origin of the name "Sonora". One eurocentric theory states that the name was derived from Nuestra Señora, the name given to the territory when Diego de Guzmán crossed the Yaqui River on October 7th, the feast day of Nuestra Señora del Rosario ("Our Lady of the Rosary").
The story of Our Lady of the Rosary was depicted by the Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio in his 1607 altarpiece painting, Madonna of the Rosary.
Untitled (Nuestra Sonora del Rosario) uses a reproduction of cropped section of Caravaggio’s painting as a platform to exhibit a redacted page out of Border Patrol Strategic Plan 1994 & Beyond. In direct dialogue with each other, these two objects draw a connection between the violent colonial strategies of the Spanish conquistadors and contemporary American Border Patrol and immigration policies.
Oil on canvas , 48” x 60”
Collection of the Tucson Museum of Art
