Exiled Masterpieces is the latest post-postmodern art series authored by Miami-based Brazilian American artist Jônatas.1 The series features figurative depictions in chiaroscuro of first- and second-generation immigrants painted on FedEx boxes. The boxes will be shipped around the globe, unprotected and exposed to harm—aiming to spark a conversation about the current immigration crisis in the West. Viewers will be confronted with two possible responses: If at first the instinct is to protect the art pieces, they may be unprepared to recognize the value of experience and change, both constants in the immigrant experience. But if they are unaffected by the damage caused to the artwork, they may have become too desensitized as witnesses to the harm inflicted on others. As the collection travels to each new exhibit, serigraphs will be produced from the digital documentation of their journeys. As each piece is displayed next to its previous manifestation, conversations about displacement, immigration, art, and the
