Lately, artist Dora Reynosa says it’s been difficult to watch the news.
Reynosa is undocumented and a former DACA recipient. As ICE’s activity rises and news reports about violence against immigrants have surged, she’s channeled her fear and frustration into her work.
“I just felt overwhelmed with not being able to do anything, but I wanted to call attention to this and I knew this work would do that,” she said.
Art itself can sometimes spark controversy, but Reynosa has also faced discrimination while painting.
Last February, she was painting a colorful mural in South Dallas. It reads “We Win as One” in colorful bubble letters. While the image wasn’t political, a woman verbally and physically assaulted her.
“She kept yelling at me that nobody wanted me here. She kept telling me to go back to my country and it was just so heavy,” Reynosa said.
That was the tipping point when Reynosa started planning to leave the country. Last week, she self-deported to Mexico to live with family but it’s something she’s been thinking about for years.
Reynosa, who goes by the artist name ByZeneth, is 30. She has over 8,000 followers on Instagram and the Texas Rangers and the Adolphus Hotel have commissioned her murals.
But lately, her work includes 10-foot-tall protest banners that say, “No estan solos,” “Solidarity” and “Resist.”
“I think it's still very important for me to speak about what's happening. I think being out of the country is going to be so much easier for me to actually speak and say what I want without the fear of being detained, the fear of being deported, or the fear of disappearing,” Reynosa said.
She said her art comes from a deeply personal place.
“People are just working, just wanting a better life, and it's tough to see your people affected,” she said. “It's very close to home.”
That’s why she wants to keep speaking out. For Reynosa, art has become more than just pretty pictures.
“These are tools that we can use to spread a message, to help people feel solidarity, to help feel like they're not alone and there's somebody out here that feels just as they do,” she said.
Though she’s in Mexico now, Reynosa says she’ll continue to make art about immigration issues in the U.S.
