Tom Kiefer
Born in Wichita, Kansas, fine art photographer Tom Kiefer was raised primarily in the Seattle area and worked in Los Angeles as a graphic designer. Kiefer moved to Ajo, Arizona in December 2001 to fully develop and concentrate his efforts in studying and photographing the urban and rural landscape and the cultural infrastructure of the United States.
Beginning in July 2003, he started working part-time as a janitor at a nearby U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility. A few years later when given permission to collect the food migrants and asylum seekers carried with them when crossing the desert he also found personal belongings seized and discarded by officials. Kiefer resigned in August 2014 to work on photographing and documenting these items full time.
The migrants’ belongings, necessary for hygiene, comfort, and survival, were deemed “non-essential” or “potentially lethal.” Kiefer commemorates the untold stories these objects embody in photographs akin to portraits, preserving traces of human journeys cut short.
Candy Target
Created in 2014, Tom Kiefer’s Candy Target, as the name implies, is a collection of cough drops and hard candy arranged along the top of a shooting target that would be used on a gun range or training area. This target in particular was used by the United States Customs and Border Patrol, and the candies that were laid over the target were all carried by people who were desperate to cross the border, seeking asylum and a better life. The pretty combination of sweet, colorful candy with a dirty, violent shooting target is a wonderful juxtaposition of feelings and visuals, showing the innocence and purity of the migrants and the strict and unfair rules enforced by the Border Patrol. This use of contrast makes the viewer instantly side with the migrants and resonate with them extremely clearly, and the piece’s execution of portraying the unfairness of the Border Patrol is extremely concise.
The piece is part of a collection called, "El Sueño Americano (the American Dream),” and the purpose of this series is to represent the lasting effects that the Border Patrol has left on migrants and smugglers who tried to cross the border, but failed. Kiefer’s goal is to show the desperation of all of the people who tried to cross the border in order to achieve a better life, but ultimately had their humanity stripped from them; his collection helps the viewers establish a much more personal and intimate collection, as they probably have no way to relate to such an experience. The strange yet broad range of mysterious photographs in the collection allow the viewer to ponder what life is like for the migrants who seek asylum, and the viewers can do their best to extend their passion to everyone who failed to make it across.
Other Works From the Collection
Understanding the Desperation of Migrants
As someone who was born and raised in the United States of America, I have no way of wrapping my head around what it is like to fear being apprehended when trying to go where I want to go. Being locked up for wanting to live somewhere new and having everything I love stripped from me in the process seems so extreme to me, that it is pretty much incomprehensible. This is one of the reasons seeing Tom Kiefer’s collection “El Sueño Americano (the American Dream)” was such an eye opening experience for me, and Candy Target was the most impactful of them all.
Candy is a wonderful representation of youth and innocence. Its wide variance of colors and overwhelming sugary taste are almost synonymous with young energy and excitement. Because of this representation, seeing it arranged in the shape of something that guns are pointed at is not only extremely unsettling, but ultimately heartbreaking. This piece of art makes me almost feel like I knew someone who tried to cross the border, and I somehow feel involved within the issue, leaving me with an urge to do something about it.
The combination of confiscated candy and a shooting target is a wonderful way to achieve the intended meaning of the piece, especially since the piece would be clear even without the target. A collection of stolen objects from people who crossed the border would already be a tough pill to swallow, but laying it on top of a target that is meant for shooting is a double gut punch, and makes the viewer feel the severity of the situation even more. It adds a whole new meaning to the piece, essentially calling the migrants “targets,” which further backs the idea of them not being treated as humans and how monumentally unfair the rules of the Border Patrol are.
The most horrifying part about this piece is also my favorite aspect of it. Given that candy is non-perishable, it is likely that these candies were in the pockets of the migrants because it was something small and long lasting that might be just enough food to get them across the border. Either that or it was all that a child was able to bring while risking everything else to seek asylum, only to have all that they had left stripped and taken from them as they were apprehended. Knowing that all of those candies were owned by people making leaps of faith and sacrificing everything only to get caught and robbed of their humanity is a difficult thing to think about, and it almost makes me upset for a group of people that I have no association with.
All in all, not only is Candy Target intriguing to look at, but its deep meaning displayed in a clear and concise way makes the piece extremely powerful and moving. The viewer has no choice but to feel a personal connection with all those who are connected to the issue and have sympathy for everyone involved.
