The UN Refugee Agency states that there are “5.4 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide, over 800,000 asylum-seekers from Venezuela worldwide, [and] about 2.5 million living under other legal forms of stay in the Americas.” Based on this data, Venezuela has the biggest forced displacement in the history of Latin America. This is because Venezuela’s past corruption led to socio-economic instability. Not only are Venezuelans unsafe in their own countries, but they are also vulnerable in new countries where xenophobia and discrimination contribute to the dehumanization of these immigrants. The Venezuelan crisis is, of course, the result of the abuse of internal power; however, it is also the direct result of colonization and extraction by foreign powers. Many Venezuelans have been forced to flee their home due to economic instability and political oppression. Being unable to obtain jobs in new countries leaves Venezuelans vulnerable to abuse. “Government lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 have caused migrants to lose their jobs in the informal sector and approximately 130,000 have made arduous journeys back to Venezuela, many on foot.” The results of this refugee crisis have only worsened due to COVID-19, since there are severe shortages in medical supplies. My work responds to the loss of a national identity that accompanies immigration, but also the corresponding creation of new hybrid identities. This work is based on understanding the past and how the Venezuelan identity has been formed and influenced. Moreover, my research looks into Venezuelan history, our mystified heroes, and the prominence of national symbolism. It also addresses Venezuela’s dependence on oil, and the harm it causes. Most importantly, this project gives voice and agency to the diaspora through tradition, identity, myths, and folklore.

> Learn more about the Venezuelan emergency here.

Alejandra Abad was born in Venezuela and partially raised in Florida. Her style is informed by architectural studies at FAU and in Film, Video, and New Media at SAIC. She experiments with multimedia, site-specific installations, and handmade materials while examining access, borders, and boundaries. She refers to memories of her upbringing while visually depicting transformations that come with migration and hybrid identity. She creates honest and symbolic narratives connected to place, family, and community. Her animations and moving images often feature fragmentation, folklore, and mythology. By mixing personal experience with socio-political critiques, whether it is tied to her homeland or new homes, her work aims to promote wellness, community, equity, and empathy. 

Her content has historic roots in anticolonial movements tied to international surrealism and magical realism, particularly from South America and the Caribbean. She created Bodies of Water, installed at Museo de las Américas, and Poli Mito, which received a grant from First Generation Film / NoBRoZone (Knight Foundation & Time Warner), and was screened at Borscht Film Festival, the Lyric Cinema in 2019, and Shikata Ga Nai in 2020. She travelled to Colombia to teach and make art with the indigenous community. She was a Nest fellow at the MARBLE/marble Symposium. In 2020-2021, as an Engaged Arts and Humanities Graduate Student Scholar, she received grants to fund unidos.club for projects for BMoCA, the Art District of Santa Fe, and Denver’s Clock Tower. She has also recently exhibited in the Co-Terminous and Object Empathy shows at Union Hall.

Instagram : @alejandraabad_

Website : alejandraabad.com