Hugo Morales

Ecuadorian-American artist Hugo W. Morales created the piece entitled Dora, in order to add a modicum of levity inside the current immigration debate. Morales views the persona of "Dora the Explorer," as a heroic pan-Latina feminist celebrity. In his hilarious piece, Morales uses the image of Dora to satirize Arizona's recent string of anti-Latino laws: SB 1070 bill; SB 1096 bill; HB 2631bill, and especially the deeply troubling and abhorrent HB 2281 bill, which would make it illegal in Arizona for school districts to teach courses in "Ethnic Studies," "Hispanic Studies," or "Latino Studies," etc. Viewing all of this legislation as "etho-racist," and primarily hate-driven; Morales uses the image of "Dora the Explorer" to champion Latinos and Latinas; especially since, Dora often teaches aspects of "Ethnic Studies," "Hispanic Studies," or "Latino Studies" in her world famous coast-to-coast TV program.
When creating Dora, Morales wanted to demonstrate the unfairness of Arizona's anti-Latino law (SB 1070), which expands statewide police-powers to stop, question, and detain anyone who looks slightly Hispanic, instantly demanding that they produce papers, in order to prove that they are allowed to be in the USA. Even natural-born "Hispanic-looking" citizen are subject to this unfair treatment. Morales plays with the idea, suggesting in his work that even little, cute, lovable and adorable Dora could be unduly targeted within a rapidly emerging 21st Century North-American totalitarian state: ARIZONA!!
For more information about the art of Hugo W. Morales please







































