The Big Issue - UK (2020-03-09)

p 30 | BIGISSUE.COM 09-15 MARCH 2020

Whereareyounow,Pablo?

I amoverlookingtheUnitedStatesfrom

Mexicoina placecalledReynosa.I’mina

hotelwitha viewofMcAllen(acityinHidalgo

County,Texas),tryingtotakesomepictures.

Talkusthroughtheideabehindyour

currentproject...

Difficultquestion!TosummarisewhatI'm

doingina fewwords,itisa searchfora better

existence.ThephraseI keepcomingback

tois‘MigrantesValientes’,whichmeans

BraveMigrants.Ifindhugeinspirationinthe

peopleI havebefriendedovertheyearsof

mywork,howtheydecidetomovefromone

placetoanothertolookfora betterlife away

fromviolence,awayfrompoverty.

Whatwastheinitialsparkforyourproject

TheLifeOfTheBeast?

Myoriginaltargetwastoobservethe

landscapeofMexicofromtrains.WhenI

saytrains,I meanthefreighttrainscarrying

millionsofdollarsofgoodstotheUnited

States.Theprivatisationoftherailroadtracks

inMexicoin 1997 meantrailtransportlinks

wereshutdown.Sonowyouhavenochance

ofobservingthedepthsofthiscountryasa

citizenora touristbytrain.Theideawasto

photographthelandscapefromthetrain,

from‘LaBestia’or‘TheBeast’,whichiswhat

themigrantscallit.ButwhenIdidmyfirst

trip,I realisedI couldnotturnmycamera

awayfromthepeopletravellingonthetrain.

SoI'veendedupdoingtwoparallelprojects

• theLandscape of the Beast and the Life of
  theBeast.

Doyourphotographyandgraffitigohand

inhand?

Asagraffitiwriter,Ialwayswantedto

removemyselffrommywork.I wantedto

beanonymous.SoIhadmygraffitiidentity

asonethingandPablo,thephotographer,

asanother.Nowthegraffitisidenaturally

mergesin.WhenIsaygraffiti,whatIdois

paintwordsconnectedtomigration.And

there’s a big tradition of graffiti on freight

trains,sotheyaretheperfectcanvasforthese

wordstotravelon.Wordsthattravelonthese

trainshaveanexactrelationship with the

journeyandthepeople.

Howdangerousisitforyoupersonally

gettingonTheBeast?

SometimesI forgetaboutthedangers.

Travellingona traindoesn’tmeanyou

willimmediatelygetintroublewithpetty

thievesororganisedcrimecartels,whocould

interceptyouandfuckyouup.Butthereis

a hugeriskthatcanhappen.Ithappened

tofriendsofminerecently.I havealsobeen

placedinanICEfacility– a prison– butnot

forillegallycrossingtheborder.Itisa long

story,buttherewasa technicalissueand

I’doverstayedmyvisawithoutknowing.

ThesanctionI receivedwasprettyharsh.I

wasdetainedforamonth.Theydidn’tjust

chargemewithoverstaying,theyalsoasked

questionsaboutmycriminalconvictions,

andsinceIhadbeenlockedupforgraffitiin

theUK,chargedmewithmoralturpitude.

Basically,theysaidI wasa threat to the

lifestyleofUScitizens.

Didthatmakeyouquestionwhetheryou

wantedtocontinuewithyourproject?

I thinkI wasprettyluckytohavebeen

giventhechancetoencounterwhat

actuallyhappensinsidea detentioncentre.

Itgavememoreofaninsight.Havingbeen

throughprisoninthepast,myartisticside

allowedmetobefree.I gotonwithwriting

anddrawingandinterviewingpeople.That

waskey– itispivotal to stay awake by

beingcreative.

Isgraffitibyitsveryexistencea

politicalact?

Ifpeoplethinkthata wordthatI maypaint–

say,love– ispolitical,that’sgreat.ButI would

liketounderstandwhysomeoneiscallingthe

word‘love’a politicalstatement.So,withthe

graffiti,yesIthinkitisprobablypoliticalby

nature– butI don’twanttobe the one calling

my work political graffiti.

Ofthestoriesyouhaveheardonyour

travels,whichonesstickinyourmemory?

I metFredyduringtheCaravaninthe

beginningof2018.Wewalkedtogether

andtravelledonthetrainforthreeorfour

days.HeendedupontheborderofMexico

andtheUSandwasinterceptedbyMexican

immigrationandsentbacktoHonduras.He

triedagainandwasarrestedanddeported

again.Thethirdtimetookhima month

• stayinginplacestomakemoneythen
  travellingfurthernorth,eventuallyending
  upintheplaceI aminnow.Hedidn’tusea
  traffickertogettotheotherside,whichis
  thenorm.Hemadehisownwaythrough
  ruggedterrainforfivedaysusingaGPSonhis
  phone.HeendedupinHouston,tooka coach
  andnowlivessomewhereintheBayArea
  betweenSanFranciscoandOakland.Hewas
  deportedfromtheUSthreetimesandtwice
  fromMexicobuthislastattemptwasthe
  luckyone.Henowhasacarandajob.Fredy’s
  storyremindsmehowresilientpeople
  escapingpovertyandviolencecanbe.

Whatwouldyoulikepeopletotakefrom

yourwork?

I wantpeoplewhodon’tunderstandwhy

peoplearemigratingtorememberhistory.

Wehavetorememberourfamilytrees– and

thatpeoplecomefromdifferentplacesand

havealwaystriedtofollowopportunities.

pabloallison.co.uk@PabLondon2

Interview:AdrianLobb@adey70

Photography:PabloAllison

Thanks to : Stella Dore Gallery

Humancargo

MigrantsrisktheirlivesonThe

Beast in search of a better life

JAILEDBY USICE BORDERFORCE,UNDERTHREAT FROM

CRIMINALS,UK-BORN ARTISTPABLOIS USINGGRAFFITI TO

RECORDTHE BRAVERISK-TAKINGOFMIGRANTSSEEKING

A BETTER LIFE RIDINGTHE BEAST FROM MEXICO