GREEN-WOOD UNVEILS NEW PHOTO INSTALLATION OF IMMIGRANTS FACING DEPORTATION

ARTWORK WILL BE MOUNTED ALONG GREEN-WOOD’S 19TH-CENTURY WROUGHT IRON FENCE AND VISIBLE TO THOUSANDS OF PASSERS-BY ON FOURTH AVENUE EVERY DAY

A new art installation at The Green-Wood Cemetery from documentary photographer Cinthya Santos Briones takes an intimate look at the lives of immigrants whose undocumented status leaves them in a constant state of uncertainty. On display at Green-Wood from February 6 through April 7, 2019, Living Inside Sanctuary focuses on undocumented migrants who have found security in America, yet face orders of deportation, leaving their lives – including homes, livelihoods, and children – in turmoil.

Significantly, for the first time in its 181-year history, Green-Wood, a National Historic Landmark in South Brooklyn, will utilize the cast-iron fence that surrounds its perimeter to display art. In partnership with BRIC, Brooklyn’s leading presenter of free cultural programming, Green-Wood will install twelve large-scale banners on the fence with photographs facing Fourth Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets where, every day, thousands of passers-by will experience the powerful images.

Through her photographs, Santos Briones presents an intimate look at the lives of migrants who found security in the United States but who are now facing orders of deportation. Many have children who were born in this country as American citizens. By accepting an offer of asylum from a house of worship, these immigrants have found both a refuge and a provisional prison. They live in a state of constant uncertainty. Rather than present portraits of people in hopeless situations, Santos Briones has chosen to convey the universal routines of their everyday lives.