“WHERE DO I BELONG? / ¿DONDE PERTENEZCO?”
first performed on November 22, 2020
Artist's studio
performed once in 2020
MARTHA OSORNIO RUIZ
Chicago, Carbondale, IL
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“WHERE DO I BELONG? / ¿DONDE PERTENEZCO?”
MARTHA OSORNIO RUIZ
My performance was a representation of what I currently feel as an immigrant in this country. I have always called this land my home, yet I live with the feeling I do not belong. My performance started from the moment I put on my clothes: a white tank top and white leggings, on them red marks, words of stereotypes, racial profanity, and ethnic slurs used to hatefully describe undocumented Mexican-Americans. I then walked into the cornfield behind my house. I dug, pushed, and kicked the wet, cold mud around and lay down in it. I slowly began piling the mud starting from my feet all the way up my body until I was completely buried in it. I buried myself just as I have felt forced to bury my identity in this country, just as many undocumented immigrants like myself feel it’s necessary to conceal their status. While I lay surrounded by the mud, corn husks, and a wide-open field for a total of seven minutes, I didn’t feel the need to assimilate because I felt accepted by the land.