Art and poetry stop us in our tracks. They make us look again, listen more closely, and reconsider what we think we know.
José Luis Arias paints portraits of migrants and murals of migration, aiming to do just that. Stop us in our tracks. Make us look again and listen more closely. Compel us to reconsider why people flee their homes and what this means for any of us who witness their search for safety.
Arias, born in Mexico in 1966, lives and works as an artist and teacher in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. His work has been featured in individual and group exhibitions in Mexico and abroad. In his introduction to a recent exhibition, Arias explains who he portrays and why:
The portraits that Arias creates of individuals on the move, in search of safe shelter, are colorful, warm, empathetic:
Yet much of Arias’ work, especially his larger pieces and murals, reflects the barriers and dangers that migrants in the Americas face: 
As Arias explains, “A skull with broken legs represents migrants who sometimes fall while traveling on the [top of freight] trains, losing their limbs or their lives. The crows represent all the threats they face, such as the corruption of their countries, drug trafficking, border police, and coyotes who abuse the vulnerability of these people in search of the American dream. The flags at half-mast represent the fall, the loss of men and women during this journey.”
By highlighting faces and bodies of forced migrants, as well as the dangers they encounter on their journeys, Arias seeks to create empathy for their plight, and a recognition that these are human beings, not innumerable masses or mere collateral. As Arias puts it,
My purpose is to sensitize viewers about the human condition and to create [in them] a commitment to those who seek better opportunities.
To show his own support for those forced to flee their homes, Arias not only paints and writes. He has also pledged to give 50% of the proceeds from sales of his artwork to Casa Abba, a shelter in Celaya, Guanajuato. Casa Abba, created and run by a man known as Pastor Ignacio, offers medical care, showers, a place to sleep, and more, to migrants as they pass through this part of Mexico. Like Arias’ artwork, the shelter aims to be a place where migrants find respect for their humanity and a renewed sense of dignity.
José Luis Arias paints his migrant brothers and sisters, their faces, their pathways and hopes. He also holds up their mutilated bodies, their suffering, and the rapacious forces who feed on their vulnerability, inviting us to reconsider our own responses.
Do we recognize the humanity we share with people who are forced to flee their homes? If so, how will we respond in new ways to meet their needs for dignity, safety, and hope?
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View more of Arias’ work on Instagram and/or purchase artwork from him directly by emailing [email protected].
