Artworks • 2-D Artworks • Purse seller in front of Chanel & LV

When one mentions New York, Paris, Rome, or Venice, images of the Wall Street Bull, the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon, or Piazza San Marco are easily conjured up in one’s mind. However, the modern reality in visiting any of these sites is less romantic. Undocumented immigrants from Africa, India, or Bangledesh are hawking cheap souviners or fake designer purses to the oceans of gawking tourists who have come from around the world in order to say, „ I was there.“

Inspired by a recent visit to Paris and the fact that I was already working on a video project about undocumented immigration in the U.S., I set out to all of these international destinations to capture these illegal street vendors through a series of tourist snapshots to show a global perspective to the issue.

The subject proved more challenging than I anticipated. These individuals do not want to be photographed or discuss what they are doing because they have no papers and are involved in illegal activity. If they are arrested, they face fines as well as deportation. So they are on their guard, watching for police, journalists, or anything that seems out of the ordinary that could be a possible threat.

As I went repeatedly to the same locations to shoot, I could only be in any given city for about 3 to 4 days before I attracted attention and was asked why I was taking all these pictures. So the images range from clandestine views taken in a crowd to more intimate portraits once I was able to afford the sitter’s confidence.

Through these images, I question the idea of identity and nationality. I am intrigued by these individuals that leave their culture, language, and loved ones behind in an attempt to have opportunities that I had at birth. I wonder if I were in their position if I would do the same.

The works that are displayed here are just a sample of the entire body of work. Most works cannot be published in order to protect the identity of those photographed.