Ileana Doble Hernandez: My Dear Americans, It’s Not Enough

Ileana Doble Hernandez describes herself as an artivist, a title befitting both her work and our times.  Artivism—the combination of “art” and “activism”—refers to making and using art as a means for creating social change. The usage of the term in the United States has roots in the Chicano movement of the latter half of the twentieth century. Today, the work of artivists raises awareness of urgent contemporary political, social, and environmental issues. For over a decade, Hernandez has been making art as a form of activism, drawing from her experience as an immigrant and a mother. Her work is multi-disciplinary, and it cultivates awareness by speaking directly to the viewer, confronting difficult issues such as gun violence and immigration. While the work in this exhibition focuses on gun culture in the United States, our domestic issues reverberate world-wide, and Hernandez draws parallels with the violent drug wars in her home country of Mexico.

Hernandez’s artistic practice has been described as having the power to “transform the passive art visitor into an activist;” and her message is clear, direct, and personal.  Through her work, we are reminded of the ways we are connected. In the hopes of Hernandez, our shared lived experiences should have the power to make us care and the impetus to make us act.