| Daily, thousands of primarily poor and young indigenous Mexicans abandon their native homes. They start voyages to the first world in search of jobs and the hope of a brighter future -- or, any economic future at all. In their wake, they leave behind the hollow footprints of a cultural and domestic abandonment. 2501 Migrants: A Journey illustrates this through the story of alejandro santiago, a middle-aged artist and family man from Oaxaca, Mexico. relatively affluent and erudite, Alejandro returns home after a brief self-exile in France. But upon arrival to his native Teococuilco, he is struck by what he perceives as a virtual ghost town. Alejandro experiences, first hand, the reality that Oaxaca has emerged as one of Mexico's leading exporters of human labor to the united states. Inspired by this, he decides to create a monumental installation art piece: 2501 life-size sculptures - an homage to each individual migrant who left his village. Filmmaker and native Oaxacan, Yolanda Cruz, explores the questions of art and an indigenous community in the context of global migration and how that impacts the roots and livelihood of a small village. Alejandro's quiet demeanor and passion for art is celebrated and captured as respectfully and beautifully as each individual sculpture. His passion and his knowledge is shared with those who have stayed behind. They've dedicated their lives to this installation in honor of their small Oaxacan town. |
