Skyline College Art Gallery

Sanaz Safanasab, Choogha, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 14 x 16 x 1.5 in., Courtesy of the Artist

to arrive is never to arrive

In moments of political rupture, we hold close what agency we have left: the warmth of family or community around a kitchen table, the purpose found through organizing with others. When it feels impossible to reclaim an inch of power, when orders from the top are swiftly and cruelly enforced against our neighbors, friends, and family, small gestures of self-preservation and community-building become forms of defiant action, practiced on ground that is often unstable and provisional.

The artworks in to arrive is never to arrive do not tell stories of salvation, of Davids and Goliaths, or of good and righteousness overcoming evil forces. Instead, they trace acts of reclamation amid conditions of displacement: moments when people regain control over their stories, images, or homes.

Artists:Javier Roberto Carlos, Lorena Molina, Sanaz Safanasab