Bicicleta azul platino (Platinum Blue Bicycle)

Based in El Paso, Texas, Mexican-born Margarita Cabrera responds to pertinent issues surrounding the border between Mexico and the United States. Platinum Blue Bicycle comes from a series of soft sculptures of domestic objects that evoke the work of Pop artist Claes Oldenburg. Exposed threads allude to the labor involved in the making of these objects, executed by teams of immigrant workers. Many of Cabrera’s sculptures depict means of transportation—such as cars and bicycles—to address the mobility of people across borders. The bicycle’s sagging form suggests the potential hardships of the immigrant’s journey and new life abroad.