Shortlist

Twenty-six years ago my parents immigrated to the United States. As a child, I would imagine my parents’ odyssey in rudimentary terms: walking, loving and being bold. Through the years, however, I’ve managed to contextualise the reality of our situation and now use words such as treacherous, lonely and fearful. When asked, my father replays the moment his group lay flat on their stomachs, hiding from an oblivious ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer who sat nearby. My mother recalls trekking through knee-high mud in an Arizona desert, thousands of miles away from her home in Acapulco, Mexico. My sister, on the other hand, can’t remember much – she was only five years old at the time. This project navigates this complicated history, highlighting how this experience isn’t wholly unique to my family. The photographs were all taken within our home, because of its function as a place of refuge for undocumented immigrants across the nation.

Brayan Enriquez is a first-generation Mexican American artist based out of Atlanta, Georgia. His work focuses on his immediate family and their experience of being undocumented to discuss the migrant experience in the United States. Enriquez is currently pursuing a BFA in Photography from Georgia State University. He’s a recipient of the Atlanta Center of Photography Equity Scholarship, The Larry and Gwen Walker Award, and has been featured on Lenscratch’s Top 26 to Watch list.