CLEVELAND — “Xoxal: Baño de Fuego,” or “Xoxal: Shower of Fire” is one of the latest exhibitions to open at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland.

“What you will see is an on-site specific installation using bamboo, flowers and herbs and a two- channel video that I produced in Germany last year,” Cuatlacuatl said. “… What you will also see is a set of new sculptures… based on materials that I have been bringing from Mexico, specifically from markets, in Cholula.”

Federico Cuatlacuatl was born in Cholula, México. He was “smuggled” into the country as a child and has been living in the US under DACA for several decades.

“In this case, smuggling becomes an attitude, a gesture or a set of actions to defy that border,” said Cuatlacuatl who is now based in Virginia.

Now, he’s putting international and intergenerational history and heritage on display.

“For me, it becomes really important to not romanticize immigration, to not folklor-icize indigeneity, but here to to say that these communities have something very honest and very genuine, to preserve and to share,” Cuatlacuatl said.

A Bowling Green State University alumn, Cuatlacuatl said, he still has strong ties to the Midwest.

“I started working as a visiting professor at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. And then I did a lot of work in Toledo, Ohio, as well,” he said. “ … And so, for me, Ohio becomes this very special place to come back to. But also, my brother was living in Ohio before he passed.”

The Sculpture Center Director Grace Chin said the exhibit includes an on-site installation which is a collaboration between Cuatlacuatl, his father, a group of art students and other locals.

“The flowers are a really important part of this piece. They’re based on the tradition of Mexican flower arranging,” Chin said. “He gathered he sourced some of the materials from local gardens here, so really pulling in elements of the community into his piece but also worked with the community.”

Various sculptures are also scattered throughout the space, including what Chin said, is Cuatlacuatl’s interpretation of a flag.

“You can see he’s making his flag out of emergency blankets,” Chin said. “I think that’s really a commentary on what does one use an emergency blanket for, and ideally, it’s like to run away or recover. And so, I think that his choice of materials is really powerful.”

Cuatlacuatl is one of a handful of emerging artists selected to debut their work at the center, Chin said, spreading awareness by sharing his experiences.

“My hope is that when people come to the sculpture center and see an exhibition like this, that they are moved and inspired by the work, but also that they see what the artist is trying to say as something that is topical to today’s conversations,” Chin said.

The exhibit’s grand opening also coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month.

“It really highlights the stories and the celebration of culture that are in the Hispanic community, both here in Cleveland but also outside of the region,” Chin said. “Celebrating their culture, but also recognizing the importance of their history and their journey of what has brought them to this time and place.

Cuatlacuatl said he is hoping to shed a light on the country’s most vulnerable communities and reimagine their stories to be one of continued strength and spirit.

“It’s really important to recognize how much grieving and pain undocumented immigrant communities are going through,” he said. “But to see that as a way to solidarity, to build empathy, to build love together love, to resist love, to fight the love, to continue to defy that border.”