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What do you mean by Legal Aliens, and who are these people?

VANESSA: Legal Aliens is about immigrant women who have already obtained or who are trying to obtain legal status in Ireland. Whether legal or not, there is still an element of alienation brought about by differences in culture, language, skin colour and political ideologies. Legal Aliens demonstrates that having a legal status does not always bring stability or a sense of belonging.

Can you explain why you chose these women as the subjects or themes of your exhibition?

VANESSA: One theme is on alienation and separation on one side and integration and connectedness on the other. Secondly it is about empowerment and disempowerment. Alienation is occurring globally between nations and locally between neighbours. We identify ourselves in small comfort zones. One of my paintings is titled, 'No man/woman is just an island'. We need to focus internally but with the strength of that we then need to turn our attention outside. We have lost the unity of brotherhood and sisterhood and our egos battle with our souls to keep us believing in this separation.
I also celebrate the courage, strength and empowerment of these women who are coming into their own in a dynamic way and the challenges they face while struggling for this validation, for example ­ their legal status; employment and material entitlement, cultural integration and language barriers, racism and discrimination, existing support systems, education and fear of deportation. These women have a common thread in that they either work for or have worked for community organisations and/or participated in community development programs. Their diverse backgrounds ­ Canadian/Indian, Russian, Bosnian-Herzegovinan, Malaysian, Spanish and Kenyan also offer an interesting diversity.

What is the link between this exhibition and your past ones?

VANESSA: I like that word - 'LINK'! Linking people, linking ideas, connecting. The main link is myself. I was born in Ireland to an Irish mother and Trinidadian father. In Trinidad I wanted to come face to face with women from different walks of life. I used paintings, photography, audio and verse to portray their feelings, opinions, relationships, hurts, joys, goals and dreams. I have also focused on woman in this exhibition. Through the addition of video we can hear their authentic words and see their facial expressions and mannerisms. The idea Behind Face to Face 2000... Legal Aliens is not only to allow people to come to terms with the experiences of these women but also for them to come face to face with their own perspectives on these issues. In the end we realize that we are perhaps more alike than we are different.

Why do you adopt a multimedia approach in your exhibitions?

VANESSA: Life is so varied and beautifully expresses itself in such multi-faceted ways. I feel like that too. I like having options to describe what I am feeling. Also, this particular exhibition is about diversity and the multi-media approach aids this...

How has being part of two cultures affected your outlook?

VANESSA: At times I have been considered Irish when in Trinidad and Trinidadian when in Ireland... so there's sense of belonging in both and not belonging in either. Being Irish/ Trinidadian has allowed me to connect with these mixed feelings of alienation as well as of integration... of feeling a part of two cultures and yet not whole in either... So while this exhibition is specific in that it deals with immigrant women's reactions to a particular environment in Ireland, it is general in that its basic message is universal... I think that being a part of two cultures places a person in an interesting dilemma it allows for the opportunity to believe that one can have more than one home. It lessens myopic thinking by embracing more of the world'.

 

VANESSA final comments:
- Information; communication; demystification... The world is becoming more and more accessible... I see so much alienation in general as we seek to protect ourselves. We live in our own metaphorical apartment blocks and once in a while we look out of the windows. We find strength in commonality and support it but shut our doors on difference... we are scared of losing what we have because we haven't connected fully with ourselves or the idea that there is in fact enough for everyone.

- It takes time to adapt and change and people tend to fear the unknown... we must be careful not to project our problems on others.

- Our small macro world always reflects the macro. If we could just start reflecting on ourselves by asking questions that bring us face to face with who we are and where our patterns, beliefs and perspectives come from, then we would get a better idea of who we are, where we're going and where we would like to go. .. As the saying goes, change starts at home'.

 

- "All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights" (Article 1, 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
If we could each spend some time meditating on this alone, I'm sure our perspectives would start to change'.

 

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