“Puede Que Nos Hagan Sangrar Pero Jamás Nos Rendiremos. Esta Tierra Es Nuestra. They Will Make Us Bleed, But We Will Never Give Up. This Land Is Ours,” 2026. Textiles, acrylic, thread, and embroidery on amate.
Across her multimedia practice, Arleene Correa Valencia points out what has become increasingly obvious. The U.S., despite purporting to be a nation of immigrants, has retaliated against globalization and migration through acts of domestic terrorism, military intervention, and xenophobia. Marginalized migrants have always contended with this lived reality, but today it seems as though the projects of white supremacy, nationalism, and imperialism are more linked than ever before. In her upcoming solo exhibition, Correa Valencia explores these developments, while also offering possible modes of resistance.
Opening on March 20, 2026, at Fridman Gallery in New York, Códice •• Sobreviviendo a la Persecución / Codex •• Surviving the Persecution gathers several mixed-media artworks that explore family history and Mexican migrant narratives through paint, embroidery, and textiles. Most pieces center around familial connections, showcasing parents tightly embracing their children or siblings perched in the back of trucks. These figures, however, are often left anonymous, their faces devoid of identity and their bodies only hinted at through Correa Valencia’s stitched outlines. In a way, they almost resemble ghosts, rendered transparent by the pain of alienation, separation, and loss.
“When I was a kid, I remember being in the backseat of the car, not knowing if we were going to make it home,” the Napa-based artist and DACA recipient remarked in a 2025 interview. At the time, Correa Valencia had been undocumented until recently.
“There’s no handbook on how to lose that fear,” she added in an article published by the Guardian. “I still feel like I’m very much a target, especially having come to my residency as a Dreamer. There is this feeling that I did it the wrong way.”
The threat of deportation, then, casts a shadow across each of the exhibition’s featured artworks. What does it mean, the artist seems to ask, for a community to survive in the face of intense persecution? And, by extension, how can cultural memories and legacies be preserved under these circumstances? Correa Valencia’s artistic process may suggest a solution. To create the works in Códice, the artist collaborated closely with the community and family members, including her father and mother-in-law. The former assisted with painting, while the latter embroidered elements onto the canvases, emphasizing the importance of unity amid political upheaval. The amate paper upon which the artist works is also handcrafted by Jose Daniel Santos De La Puerta, a paper maker based in San Pablito, Mexico.
By enlisting this help, Correa Valencia memorializes the impact of those around her, insisting upon their presence, their survival, and the lineage that brought them to the present moment. The artist’s titling conventions seem to follow this logic as well, referencing revolution, solidarity, pride, and humanity. Even with their themes of separation and grief, these works demand attention, recognition, and, above all, connection. They prove how art can encourage joy and reflection, especially during times of unprecedented fear.
“I grew up very ashamed of my name, my skin color, my brown hair and eyes. I wanted to hide and embrace whiteness and American culture so I wouldn’t be discovered,” Correa Valencia told Latino Magazine. “But when I turned 18, I wanted the opposite of assimilation. I wanted to go back and be proud of my roots and cultural history.”
Códice •• Sobreviviendo a la Persecución / Codex •• Surviving the Persecution will be on view at Fridman Gallery from March 20 to May 2, 2026.
In her upcoming solo exhibition in New York, Arleene Correa Valencia contends with family history and Mexican migrant narratives through mixed-media paintings, embroidery, and textiles.
“It’s Easier To Leave Before The Sun Rise: It Hurts Less If We Don’t Say Goodbye. Es Más Facil Salir De Madrugada: Sin Despedida Duele Menos,” 2025. Acrylic, textiles, and thread on amate paper.
“I Lost My Childhood Learning How To Protect You, And I’d Do It All Again In Every Life. Perdí Mi Infancia Aprendiendo A Protegerte Y Lo Haría Todo De Nuevo En Cada Vida,” 2025. Acrylic, textiles, glitter, and thread on amate paper.
“Only In You Do I Find Peace. Solo En Ti Encuentro Paz,” 2026. Textiles, thread, and embroidery on amate.
“The Revolution Is Happening Now! ¡La Revolución Está Ocurriendo Ahora!,” 2026. Textiles, acrylic, thread, and embroidery on amate.
“Tu Eres Mio. You Belong To Me,” 2025. Textiles, thread, and glitter on amate paper.
“They Will Come For Us, They Will Hunt Us, But We Will Never Be Ashamed Of Our Brown / Vendrán Por Nosotros, Nos perseguirán, Pero Nunca Nos Avergonzaremos de Nuestro Color de Piel Morena,” 2026. Textiles, thread, and embroidery on amate.
“En El Cielo No Hay Fronteras / There are No Borders in the Sky,” 2025. Textiles, acrylic, thread, glitter, and embroidery on amate.
The exhibition offers alternative modes of resistance amid the U.S.’s descent into domestic terrorism, military intervention, and increased xenophobia.
“I Will Never Let You Down. All I Want Is To Be Half The Man He Is. We Will Be Dreamers. Nunca Te Defraudaré. Lo Único Que Quiero Es Ser La Mitad Del Hombre Que Él Es. Seremos Soñadores,” 2026. Textiles, acrylic, thread, and embroidery on amate.
“We Will Always Find Each Other, No Matter What / Siempre Nos Encontraremos, Pase Lo Que Pase,” 2026. Textiles, thread, and embroidery on amate.
“Abducted Secuestrados,” 2026. Textiles, acrylic, thread, and embroidery on amate.
“No Matter How High They Build It, We Always Find A Way. No Importa Lo Alto Que La Construyan, Siempre Encontramos Una Manera,” 2025. Acrylic, textiles, and thread on amate paper.
“Like the Monarchs: The Sky Belongs to Us and Migration Is Our Right. Como Las Monarcas: El Cielo Es Nuestro y La Migración Es Nuestro Derecho,” 2025. Textiles, thread, and glitter on amate paper.
Holding Cell #2680: We Will Be Under The Bougainvilleas Soon Celda De Detención #2680: Pronto Estaremos Bajo Las Buganvillas,” 2026. Textiles, acrylic, thread, and embroidery on amate.
“Don’t Forget About Me. No Te Vayas A Olvidar De Mi,” 2025. Acrylic, textiles, thread, and glitter on amate paper.
“My Dad Is Not a Criminal He Is a Dreamer. Mi Papá No Es Un Criminal Es Un Soñador,” 2026. Textiles, thread, and embroidery on amate.
Exhibition Information:
Arleene Correa Valencia
Códice •• Sobreviviendo a la Persecución / Codex •• Surviving the Persecution
March 20–May 2, 2026
Fridman Gallery
169 Bowery, New York, NY 10002
Arleene Correa Valencia: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Fridman Gallery.
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