¡Cuidado!
Blaffer Museum, Houston, Texas, June, 2025.
Performance Space NY, November, 2024.
Curated by X Arriaga Cuellar
Contemporary society is full of taboos surrounding death, but there is one in particular that generates a lot of discomfort and unease. While it is easy to capitalize on the fear of aging, there are thousands of justifications for not facing the responsibility that comes with dignified care for elderly people, who have grown in number especially in industrialized countries. In this sense, around the United States and Europe, there are millions of immigrants from Latin America who work caring for the elderly, and despite their personal battles, exhaustion, and the complexities of this undervalued work, they continue to keep alive the spirit of empathy, compassion, joy, and care—basic characteristics of our humanity that do not appear in the social contract. Starting from these premises, Cuidado! materializes in a video installation activated by a series of performances featuring migrant caregivers as the protagonists. On one hand, we aim to make a deep critique of the labor exploitation present in this service market, which manifests in long hours, excessive responsibilities, unpaid work hours, and low wages. On the other hand, this project pays tribute to thousands of Honduran immigrants who, like my sister Mabel Vallecillo, have dedicated their lives to this dignified work.
