AlieNation
by Alexandru Salceanu
Alexandru Salceanu
June 14 – July 26, 2024
AlieNation is a research-based photographic installation inspired by the legal term “alien.” It explores immigration law and citizenship throughout US history. Symbolizing the allure of the United States as a land of promise, the viewer is drawn in by a large San Francisco nightscape that portrays patterns of movement on land, air, and sea. Flanking the nightscape are thin, vertical photographs that capture the motion of star trails across sections of the sky. They are moving in different directions to suggest the diversity of migration patterns and experiences.
Operating on a diverging trajectory are sets of immigration laws which run counter to the human reality of migration. In contrast, the installation is paired with audio testimonies expressing the resilience and dignity of immigrants.
Alexandru Salceanu is a Romanian-American interdisciplinary artist. Born in Communist Romania and emigrating in 1992, his work concentrates on reconciling his cultural identity with his assimilation into American life. This life-altering move has driven him to explore many layered historical and aesthetic references. Juxtaposing the dissonance of political and economic theory and the intimacy of lived experience, he stitches historical facts and personal accounts together through a variety of media—painting, photography, video, projection mapping, and social practice.