ARTIST:
Zeil Amelie (they/them) is an emerging Mexican-American poet and social justice advocate from Houston, Texas. They are currently enrolled in the Creative Writing program at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston. Zeil’s family instilled a deep respect for their ancestral cultures, as they descend from Indigenous people native to Texas and Mexico. Zeil was an avid reader and writer from a very young age, drawing influence from Mexican culture, nature, and civil rights history. They are also active in social justice movements, having been featured in educational campaigns against book bans and censorship for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas and attended the Texas Abortion Advocacy Network (TAAN) Academy
“Caught Red in the Headlights”
ARTIST STATEMENT:
This triptych of photos talks about being a target. I wanted this to be a metaphor about being LGBTQ & brown in Texas, because that feeling of being a target never leaves me. The writing accompanying the photos is taken from an original poem.