The Persistence of Memory (2010)
Allegories are fictions that strive to provide a representation of reality through an art object. In the specific case of this video work, Cynthia Gutiérrez alters elements from a steeplechase in which the hurdles have been removed. When viewed through the optic of the memory and exile to which many immigrations are condemned, we find a critical element in the promise held in reaching the finishing line, almost as if it were the—apparent—safety offered by the countries of destination for these immigrants. Equally significant is the metaphor it creates with the spectators of a sports stadium cheering on the runners in a race. This migration is precisely the recollections that underpin the processes of social, personal and family memory of those condemned to exile.
