New Arrivals 2019 from September 11th to October 20th, 2019 at The Stamp Gallery | University of Maryland, College Park | Written by Marjorie Antonio

I live in America. That is what Karlo Andrei Ibarra’s work Continental declares in bright neon blue. As a person who immigrated to the United States as a child, I found Ibarra’s Continental to be a particularly bold piece. The use of neon as a medium may be one of the best ways to present that statement. It is an unforgiving, bull-horn loud, daring-to-be-noticed, icy blue. The simple declarative statement is only three letters; the form taught in elementary level Spanish. However, if you truly consider the history of migration, displacement, identity, and globalization, it is certainly impressive how his work speaks volumes in just three words.  

While Ibarra prompts us to question what living in America means, I deconstructed his piece with each neon word: What does “vivo” mean, what does “en” reflect, and what truly is considered “America”? 

“Vivo” – derived from the Latin vīvere means to live, to be alive. While the concept is similar between the two definitions, the connotation of just being alive versus living reflects the struggles of immigrants, the work that must be found to survive and to live comfortably. “En” – meaning in – questioning what inclusion really means. Ibarra captures the current political argument of exclusion versus inclusion and im/migration. While many universities and workplaces across the U.S. are championing the initiative to have more diverse and inclusive spaces, unfortunately, multicultural representation or acceptance is not often seen on the federal level, whether be in immigration policies, ICE raids, Supreme Court decisions, and executive orders. Another component of Ibarra’s work is the very definition of America. Does that include North America (such as Canada and Mexico), Central and Latin America, or South America? Yet, the colloquial definition of America only includes the United States of America and very much excludes any others. The geographic connotation of America is perhaps one of the most interesting questions that Ibarra offers for the viewer to consider. To say “I live in America” almost never begets more questions, just the common understanding of America’s borders and distinct culture.

I found Continental to be one of the most striking in Stamp Gallery’s “New Arrivals 2019” exhibition, which is a student-curated collection as part of the University of Maryland’s Contemporary Art Purchasing Program (CAPP). I am particularly impressed by the cohesiveness of the current show since all of the artwork transverses multiple mediums, yet, the messages that the pieces convey are in-conversation with one another. Continental, in particular, spoke to me about the millions of immigrants that currently reside in the United States, and the work adjacent to it, Lester Rodríguez’s 3,180 KM, represents the length of the border between the United States and Mexico. Borders, whether they keep things in or out, is part of the vocabulary of this collection. 

Ibarra’s Continent is so much more than three neon words; it is a defiant statement of the body restrained by imaginary borders, by anti-immigrant laws, by what America is considered versus what it actually is. It is the voice of the many people who take pride in their residency, of the life they have crafted and toiled for, resounding in neon lettering, in a language that will soon be the most spoken in the world. I can hear the voices sing: vivo en america.

Karlo Andrei Ibarra’s’s work is included in New Arrivals 2019 at The Stamp Gallery of the University of Maryland, College Park, from September 11th to October 20th, 2019.