ABSTRACT
During travels between the US and Mexico, Gómez-Peña’s recurrent topics are diaspora due to global violence, political persecution, racism, manmade “natural disasters” and humanitarian responses. “Disclaimer” attempts to describe censorship felt by performance artists, especially with the recent resurgence of neo-nationalism. “Border Interrogation” is a conversation starter on the fictional “immigration crisis,” and racism. “An Open Letter to the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, about Operation SB1070. America’s Most Wanted Inner Demon” searches for a fictional bilingual memory in projections of the US. “Border Hysteria and the War Against Difference” articulates a passionate defense of “undocumented” immigrants, post-national identity, and a multiracial US. “Uroborus: The binational ritual of Violence and Migration” explores how “Mexiphobia” and anti-refugee hysteria affect our psyches and those of the arts community. The Republican Barbie is an anecdote on the intersection of gender and race featuring Anne Coulter and KellyAnne Conway. Tim Miller and Guillermo Gómez-Peña swap stories about touring in times of war, the Bush regime and Trump era. “Your Blood Not Your Skin” conducts an imaginary conversation with your archetypal powerful “white hetero/normative dude” dealing with issues of sovereignty land claims and identity fetishism.
