Brian Maguire is an artistic communicator of injustices and unsettling stories from the places he’s set foot in. One of these stories comes from El Paso’s sister city, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, during its peak crime years. Maguire was not an artist who isolated himself and observed from afar, rather, he got involved with the families of murdered victims and has kept their memory alive through his work.
On Sept. 9, the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts hosted a screening of “The Life of Brian (Maguire)” where both Maguire and the filmmaker, Mark McLoughlin, were in attendance. The film serves as a window into Maguire’s thoughts and creative process. What he produces is activist art; he utilizes his artistry to bring social and political issues such as inequality, poverty and violence to the forefront.
In order to properly execute and meaningfully convey a message, he begins by learning about and meeting people who are attempting to escape or simply survive in the state and conditions they are in. The audience gets to see Maguire and his travels, from uncovering stories of migrants who did not make it out of the Arizona desert to engaging with the people of Juarez.
When Maguire first arrived in El Paso in 2008, he met Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, a Mexican mother who, following the murder of her daughter, became an outspoken social activist. Ortiz was instrumental in giving him a closer look at the femicide crisis in Juarez.
“She introduced me. I visited the families. I went to their homes, we talked, and I learned how it was,” Maguire said. “She was a great strength.”
Unfortunately, her unwavering fight for justice for her daughter and other women was silenced when she was assassinated two years later.
While crossing the bridge for the first time was an unnerving experience, Maguire’s fear ceased the moment he realized that he was the only one causing his greatest dread. Over time, what overtook all his emotions was impotence, as he traversed the lawless city where killings were commonplace, and justice was seldom. But by painting what he witnessed; he was addressing the problem.
When he wasn’t teaching art classes to the children of murdered or missing women, he painted everything from horrific scenes to portraits of victims. However, he needed to feel that he had some sort of relationship with the families before he pulled out his brush and canvas.
“It’s not your story; all you’re doing is visiting,” Maguire reiterates throughout the film. As a show of appreciation for letting him inside the doors of their home, he would create two identical portraits, one for him to carry and one for the victim’s relatives to keep.
One of his most famous portraits was of Erika Perez Escobedo, who was strangled and found in the streets with her underwear tampered with. Her story became a primary motivation behind exposing the harsh reality of Juárez at the time.
“It was to show the world what we’ve lost,” Maguire said. “And I’m showing them in New York in three or four months’ time. Not over. Not over.”
Through his global exhibitions, Maguire has been preserving the memory of Escobedo and others for over a decade. Taking their stories outside of Mexico and making sure they reach as many people as possible is now his life’s mission; as he said, it’s “not over.”
Although Maguire visited the border region multiple times, there is specific footage from 2012 from when McLoughlin joined him. For the two men, the border region has had a profound impact on their lives, not just their careers; hence, showcasing the film in the Rubin Center was a special and significant moment.
“It’s hugely important for me because both Brian and I were very affected by our experience here, both on this side and in Juárez,” McLoughlin said. “It’s kind of like a homecoming in a way because this is where it all started, and this is what I think resonated most powerfully with both of us, and very emotionally too.”
Maguire’s activist art speaks louder than his words, and Kerry Doyle, the director of the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, hopes that his artistic intent inspires UTEP students.
“He’s used his talent as a painter to address social and political issues, visiting some of the most conflicted areas of the globe over time, and really brought awareness to a lot of issues through his work,” Doyle said.
“The Life of Brian (Maguire)” is a film that communicates these stories with sensitivity and truth. As for Maguire, his work depicted the reality of Juárez under the cartel in an authentic and sincere manner.
Brisa Silva is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]
