About the exhibit: Featuring artwork by Alexa Vasquez, this exhibition will highlight the experiences of undocumented queer immigrants that migrated to the U.S. as children and came of age in the country. As undocumented queer immigrants, they experience a double marginalization in which they must navigate both xenophobic and homophobic violence. Their queer identities marginalize them within undocumented immigrant communities, who frequently hold homophobic beliefs. Similarly, their undocumented status excludes them from many queer communities, who are often opposed to undocumented immigration despite their otherwise liberal politics. Consequently, undocumented queer immigrants cautiously and strategically choose how and when to be out about their sexuality and/or immigration status. While this double marginality undoubtedly positions undocumented queer immigrants as one of the most vulnerable communities within the immigrant population in the U.S. and the country writ large, many undocumented queer artists are also using their lived experiences to politically empower their communities. Read more from curator M. Lilliana Ramirez and the artists here. About the artist: Alexa Vasquez is a trans woman of color and child migrant from the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. She is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus in painting, writing, and fashion. Her work is autobiographical, poetic and political and her visual artworks are inspired by Oaxaca, by the experience of a migrant longing to make it back home. Her writings are memories of growing up in an immigrant household, leaving home, transitioning, and exploring trans womanhood. Related programming: EXHIBITION CELEBRATION Saturday, June 8, 2024, 5-7 p.m. Reserve your tickets to celebrate with us on (Members free, Visitors $15) OFF THE WALL Thursday, July 25, 2024, 6-7:30 p.m. Reserve your tickets for the next installment of OMA's conversation series that brings community leaders together with artists and curators to discuss current affairs which impact the health and well being of our region now and in the future. ($15 Visitors, $10 Members, $5 Artist Alliance / Students) Related links: Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA): website | Instagram | Facebook
