The Village Voice writes about State of Exception/Estado de Excepción,” an exhibit recently at the Parsons School of Design, based on Professor Jason De León's work on undocumented migrants crossing the border in Arizona.

"Since 2009, De León has been taking his students into the Sonoran as part of the Undocumented Migration Project, an anthropological study documenting the lives and legacies of those who cross from Latin America to the U.S. Working with curator Amanda Krugliak and artist Richard Barnes, De León has translated this data into the sobering new exhibition "State of Exception/Estado de Excepción" at the Parsons School of Design. "I used to be really skeptical of it," De León said of presenting, as art, the artifacts he and his team have unearthed. His perspective has since changed. "I think using these different kinds of artistic venues is a great way for us to start new dialogues with people who wouldn't necessarily go to an anthropological exhibit on these materials."

 

Jason De León Dares You to Look Away From the Items Border Crossers Leave Behind