Esteban Cabeza de Baca

Children

In Children, Mexican-Native American artist Esteban Cabeza de Baca envisions a sunset scene along a border in the New Mexican desert. Like in many of Cabeza de Baca’s works, Children involves several layers of paint and graffiti. The dripping paint and converging layers make it unclear whether the fence is being built or taken down. Two sets of people sit on either side of the border and stare at one another. Some, like the children in striped shirts on the far left, appear identical, while others seem distinct yet related. Cabeza de Baca’s art frequently addresses the realities of living in
a world divided by borders. He himself was raised in San Ysidro, which connects San Diego, California, to Tijuana, New Mexico. The artist’s layering process expands his landscapes beyond the two-dimensional canvas and the conditions of the present into what he describes as “a whole worldview to treat people in more equitable ways.” Children expresses this worldview of a better future without borders.