Ruddy Mejia was sitting in a compact studio in the South Bronx, putting the finishing touches on a set of small, brightly colored brass foil plates embossed with images of body parts.
His take on popular Mexican religious charms, or “milagros,” they draw from a tradition of toiling for hours to indent an image — a heart, leg or other body part that needs healing — into a plate of metal.
They are about sacrificing “time, and your hands, in order to ask for a little prayer of help from beyond,” said Mejia, one of the 34 artists, all but one of whom are Latino immigrants or children of immigrants, in a new exhibition, “¡Te Amo Porque S.O.S. Pueblo!,” at the BronxArtSpace.
The exhibition is intended as a celebration of immigrants in a time of crackdowns and deportations. It is also a form of outreach, offering access to legal resources and advocacy groups, and a chance to connect with other immigrant artists in the South Bronx, where the population is majority Latino and nearly one-third foreign-born.
Installation view of “¡Te Amo Porque S.O.S. Pueblo!,” a show featuring 34 artists, all but one of whom are Latino immigrants or children of immigrants.Credit…Luis Corzo for The New York Times
“Emotions are running very high,” Mejia, 36, said. “There’s a lot of fear. I wanted to create something that resembles what that feels like.”