Home, kids, sleep (2016) Category: Art Medium: Photography
Home, kids, sleepexplores child abuse, socioeconomic status, and media reports in New Mexico, my home state. In 2016, the Albuquerque Police Department found the dismembered remains of Victoria Martens, a 10-year-old girl. Victoria’s mother, Michelle Martens, was arrested and charged for the crime, along with Michelle’s boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, and his cousin, Jessica Kelley. I worked on Home, kids, sleep shortly after, and it references Victoria Martens, and Baby Brianna (a 5-month-old from Las Cruces, NM who was assaulted, strangled, and murdered in 2002 by her mother, father and uncle).
Abuse, rape, and murder can happen in any home—however, while it is not always dependent on socioeconomic status, American researchers are studying the relationship between status and community violence. It’s a complex endeavor. Home, kids, sleep is not meant to be prescriptive, elitist, or purely aesthetic; it’s a reflection on the how we go to sleep, where we lay our heads at night, and the pasted realities behind closed doors.
Read more on socioeconomic status and violence here and here.
