Después del trabajo
RAMIRO GOMEZ’S DESPUÉS DEL TRABAJO (2016) addresses issues of immigration and makes visible the “invisible” labor forces of Southern California. This work is a nod to the life-size cardboard cut-outs of gardeners, nannies, and housekeepers that Gomez places on display in the neighborhoods and parks around Beverly Hills, California. Like these cut-outs, the face of the housekeeper in Después del trabajo is expressionless that evokes the invisibility or her work. She is only identified by the service she provides (represented by the check she is picking up), and yet she is doing some of the hardest and most essential work that our society relies on to function. Gomez‘s work inspires us to think about and celebrate the unsung workers that we depend on every day.