Art is one of the greatest forms of storytelling and expression of defiance and pride for many groups outside of the majority. Artists Edel Rodriguez and Siona Benjamin have committed much of their work to telling theirs and others immigrants’ stories. Despite the differences in their artistic style through the mediums and colors they employ, Rodriguez’s “Strangers”¹ and Benjamin’s “ Finding Home #33”² work together to express 2 sides of the migration experience, how they are widely perceived and how they want to be perceived.
Edel Rodriguez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1971. At 9 years old his family sought refuge in America³. He’s a writer and artist, with work published in the New York Times and in TIME Magazine. In 2016, Rodriguez illustrated his first of many artworks on Donald Trump’s presidency for the cover of TIME Magazine⁴. In 2018, The New York Times, asked him, along with 13 other artists, to submit pieces on “The Subject of Immigration”, and he submitted “Strangers”. He hoped for this illustration to speak to the political climate and the way that immigrants had almost been dehumanized and villainized under the Trump Administration. Using dark blues and a cool color scheme, he portrays a melancholic scene. By making the people on the boat look like ghosts and monsters, he hoped to shine light on the attempt of the Trump administration and its constituents to paint migrants inhumanely as criminals. “… migrants whose sole “crime” is the dream of a new and better life”⁵. Rodriguez’s piece tells the story of strangers on what is often a sad, lonely, and dangerous journey. This road doesn’t end after they arrive though, it is now their life. If they make it to their destination, they inherit a new set of problems—they assume the role of outsiders—often facing the criticism of locals who expect them to assimilate seamlessly.
Siona Benjamin’s “Finding Home #33” shines a light on the complexity of migrants’ identities. She shows how she perceives aspects of her identity, specifically as a painter, a jewish woman, and an Indian immigrant, and how she juggles these different aspects. By depicting herself holding different symbols that represent her identity, like a paintbrush, a menorah, and an Uncle Sam hat with the star of David on it, she shows the importance and pride in maintaining these aspects of herself . By putting the menorah on the Uncle Sam hat, Benjamin is showing that it’s possible to merge the existing aspects of your identity with those that you gain from migration. Migrants are widely expected to conform to the societal expectations of the countries they move to, wether or not this means abandoning their own culture entirely. Some feel that it’s better to permanently set aside some aspects, that don’t fit into the normative culture, leading to an inability to pass down heritage, customs and religious values to further generations. . For example, an immigrant mother from Brazil may choose not to teach her children Portuguese, because they won’t need it in a dominantly English speaking country. This loss of language paired with a separation from family or religion, can lead to a loss of a shared identity. Edel Rodriguez tweeted, “When you ask ‘what do immigrants give up?’ You give up entire memories. You give up life.”⁶ Immigrants shouldn’t have to choose between culture and assimilation, in order to avoid being harassed or discriminated against.
It’s important that migrants and their cultural and religious differences are accepted and embraced by the society that they integrate into. Donald Trump became president by rallying fear of immigrants, saying in The Washington Post when speaking about immigration from the souther border that “…They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. ..”⁷ This type of rhetoric fueled hate groups and crimes, and influenced anti-immigrant policy and ideology among many in America. In order to avoid being harassed or discriminated against, some migrants feel the need to suppress their heritage, by not speaking/not passing down languages and traditions or avoiding practicing their birth religion (not by choice). Having to do these things can lead to a lack of a common identity among these groups. This is really important because it helps provide migrants with a community or support system to aid them on their journey. In Fruit of the Vine and Work of Human Hands: Immigration and the Eucharist, Daniel Groody, an author for the University of Notre Dame Press, said “ many immigrants experience such radical need that they come to realize they have no one else they can depend on but God.”⁸Without religion and opportunities to find people and groups to support them, it can make them and their children feel like they don’t fit in or belong within our society.
Rodriguez’s artwork reflects the political climate, showing how immigrants are perceived and painted as strange criminals, when in reality, they are just trying to live a better life and have much to add to their societies. Benjamin’s piece captures how she perceives her self, and the potential of others to maintain their cultural, religious, and national identities and integrate those into the society of their new home.

1) Lescaze, Zoë. “13 Artists on: Immigration.” The New York Times. The New York Times, June 19, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/t-magazine/immigration-art.html.
2) Benjamin, Siona. Finding Home #33. n.d. The Art of Siona Benjamin:Finding Home. https://artsiona.com/paintings/finding-home-2/.
3) WePresent. “I Want to Paint the Reality Here – Real Life.” WePresent, September 4, 2019. https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/story/edel-rodriguez/.
4) Altman, Alex, Philip Elliott, and Zeke J Miller. “Inside Donald Trump’s Meltdown.” Time. Time, August 11, 2016. https://time.com/4447985/inside-donald-trump-meltdown/
5) GROODY, DANIEL G., and GIOACCHINO CAMPESE, eds. A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration. ¿Cuanto Más? The Crucified Peoples at the U.S.-Mexico Border. University of Notre Dame Press, 2008. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv19m641k.
6) WePresent. “I Want to Paint the Reality Here – Real Life.” WePresent, September 4, 2019. https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/story/edel-rodriguez/.
7) Staff, Washington Post. “Full Text: Donald Trump Announces a Presidential Bid.” The Washington Post. WP Company, November 26, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/06/16/full-text-donald-trump-announces-a-presidential-bid/.
8) GROODY, DANIEL G., and GIOACCHINO CAMPESE, eds. A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration. Fruit of the Vine and Work of Human Hands: Immigration and the Eucharist. University of Notre Dame Press, 2008. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv19m641k.