WEEK FOUR 10/4

 "First Generation Immigrant"

Studying

Cooking

Working

Resting

“First Generation Immigrant” This is the title I chose for my self-portrait photo series. The pictures above were greatly inspired due to the past readings that we have read. The artists Ana Mendieta, Cindy Sherman, and Carie Mae Weems were big inspirations in creating my photo series. The title of my photo series “First Generation Immigrant” helps explain all my photos well and efficiently. The photo series shows my day-to-day schedule and the daily jobs that come with that. Being a first-generation immigrant comes with many hard traumas and goals that both of my Mexican parents bestowed upon me. Being the oldest child in the household they have many big expectations for me. Whether that is getting a degree to succeed in life, having a good-paying job, providing for the family, etc. Most of these goals are mine while some are mainly for my parent's content. The first picture of my photo series is a picture of me studying and doing my homework for school. It shows one huge goal my parents have for me, getting a degree. Since I was a kid they always said that they came to America to give me a better future and a better life compared to the one they had in Mexico. I was always told to study and work hard, and that school comes first. The picture shows me studying for a better future and working hard for a career to accomplish my parents and one of my goals. 

The second picture of my photo series shows me cooking in my kitchen. The photo shows me preparing food for myself and for my other siblings since my parents work during the day. It represents another job I have throughout the day in order to provide for my family. The third photo represents me working at my full-time job at the airport. It is one of my main goals is to make money in order to succeed in life and to help my parents with any financial issues that they have. It represents that as the oldest man and first child in the household, I have to serve as a role model to my younger siblings. I have to be a hard worker and work twice as hard as my parents want me to be. I have no time to waste because my parents used all of theirs to work and provide a good life for me. The last picture represents the only time I have to rest and relax which is when I sleep at the end of every night. It is the only time I have to reflect on the day right before I do it all over again. This photo series shows all of my daily struggles and jobs I have to do in order to make my parents and most of all myself proud. It is inspired by the previous artists that we have learned and shows what it means to be a First Generation Immigrant. 

Quotes:

NY Times: Art That Looks at Women See - “A portrait does not have to be the image of an individuality, conceived as an island no one could access but the portraitist. A portrait can be the way to plunge into the sea of life.”

NY Times: Ana Mendieta, a Cuban Artist Who Pushed Boundaries - “As an immigrant, Mendieta felt a disconnect in the United States. The trauma of being uprooted from her Cuban homeland as a girl would leave her with questions about her identity and make her more conscious of being a woman of color.”

Bell Hooks Understanding Patriarchy - “He was taught that a boy should not express feelings. I was taught that girls could and should express feelings, or at least some of them.” Pg.19