Dreaming of Reunification
The story of a Deported Artist
featuring Javier Salazar
as interviewed by Mariana Moscoso, California Arts Council
Javier Salazar Rojas, known by the artist name Deported Artist, was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and brought to Oakland as a baby. Salazar was raised in East Oakland and got into trouble and arrested when he was twenty-four years old. While he was incarcerated for eleven years, Salazar learned to draw. He identifies as a “self-taught artist” and credits life as his biggest teacher. Salazar has lived through a lot of hardships in his life and reflects his struggles through his art. In his last three years in prison, Salazar served in Firecamp as a wildland firefighter working for CAL FIRE. Salazar was deported upon his release at thirty-five years old, and shortly thereafter, his wife bought him his first set of paints and brushes.
In December 2020, Salazar spoke with Mariana Moscoso, Manager of the California Arts Council’s prison arts program.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
MM: Today, I have the honor to interview Javier Salazar, also known on Instagram as Deported Artist. In fact, this is how I first encountered his work. As a digital artist, myself, I quickly became a fan drawn to the visual narratives that Javier creates in his artworks from his life experiences and culture. Javier, I am really excited to talk to you today.
JS: Thank you for having me. I’m very excited to be here. My name is Javier Salazar. I’m also known as the Deported Artist. I’m forty-one years old. I’m currently deported at the moment, living in Tijuana, but I grew up in Oakland, California. I migrated to Oakland with my mom; she took me across the border when I was two months old. I grew up in Oakland all my life. It wasn’t until I was twenty-four, when I got in trouble, that I became incarcerated.
It was during my incarceration that I really started developing and defining my art and style.
I love my culture, and I like to inspire other people to take pride in their culture as well, especially the young ones.
After paroling, I started painting, and I started pursuing art more as a full-time thing. So I’ve been painting ever since. And it’s been four years that I’ve been painting, mostly acrylic paintings, and I started as a digital artist about six months ago.
MM: Your most recent piece that you posted on Instagram really resonated with me because it visually speaks about ancestors and ancestral practice. In other pieces you have posted on Instagram, I love the realness of your images — how you incorporate elements of contemporary Latinx and Chicanx life, and sometimes share your experiences as an incarcerated firefighter. Can you talk a little bit about why you are inspired by these particular themes in your work?
JS: My inspiration has really been my everyday life. I’ve been through a lot of struggles, and I continue to go through a lot of struggles, so that’s really been my inspiration. My art really revolves around a couple of things. First and foremost, immigration, because I am a deported artist, and I use my artist platform as a voice to speak out. I know that some people in my same situation don’t like to speak out because they have pending immigration cases and it might not be good for them [to speak out]. Me, I don’t have a pending immigration case, so, you know, I speak up. I like to think that sometimes I give a voice to those that are otherwise unheard.
Also, I paint a lot of farmworkers and essential workers. My parents and my grandparents were farmworkers, so I’m very proud of them. Also, I paint about my incarceration, things that have to do with my current situation and my culture. I love my culture, and I like to inspire other people to take pride in their culture as well, especially the young ones.
MM: Yeah, I think you’re definitely accomplishing that. I love the way you incorporate aspects of your culture and your life experiences. In the artworks you sent us, your work expresses a connection that’s much larger than yourself. It’s also the story of your people.
JS: Yes, I’ve always liked art since I was a little kid. I remember growing up and I used to buy the lowrider art magazines, because a lot of the art in there has to do with our culture, you know? And that’s what really started opening my eyes to art, but I never really took it serious until I was incarcerated. That is when I had a lot of time on my hands […] to reflect and think about my life experiences. And that’s when I really started sketching and drawing — just drawing on whatever I could find, you know, paper, handkerchiefs, or whatever. But after my incarceration, when I was deported, it was my wife, she bought me my first set of paints. She bought me some acrylic paints, and I was so happy when I seen them and I couldn’t wait to start painting.
So when I started painting, it was more like a hobby. At first it was a way also to deal with my anxiety from being separated from my family, you being deported — so I started painting for those reasons. After a while, my wife, she would come to visit me and it would get expensive […] so I had to find some kind of way to supplement our income. So I started selling my paintings through her online store that she created on her Instagram, Hijas de Maiz, and I’ve been painting ever since. I used to work here in Tijuana in the call centers […] they really don’t pay you much here. The wages here in Tijuana, they’re very low. It’s hard to survive. When I was working, what happened is the manager — he was a contractor — he contracted us, he was from the U.S. but […] he just got into it with my supervisor and he fired the whole office, and I found myself without a job.
I started painting and just getting all this feedback from people who are also in my situation, or people who can relate to my art. It really touched me, you know, and it really pushes me to keep painting.
So I had to make a decision — you know, I was like, should I go back to work six days a week for $120 at the call center, or try to pursue my artist thing as full-time [work]? So I’ve been painting full time ever since. At first, you know, it was more to supplement my income. But eventually it evolved into so much more. I started painting and just getting all this feedback from people who are also in my situation, or people who can relate to my art. It really touched me, you know, and it really pushes me to keep painting.
MM: What would you say to young aspiring artists who want to not just cultivate their art practice, but also, like, speak to their experiences?
JS: Yes, I would say put all your emotions, whatever you’re going through — don’t be afraid to put it into your art.
Put all your emotions, whatever you’re going through — don’t be afraid to put it into your art.
For a long time, I was ashamed, in a way, of my situation. I was thinking that, by me posting about my incarceration, about my deportation, that I would have, like, a negative feedback from people. It actually turned out to be the opposite. You know, a lot of people that are in similar situations, or had family members in similar situations, could really relate to it. And for the most part, I’ve gotten really positive feedback. Every once in a while, I’ll get that one person with hateful comments or whatever. But I don’t buy into their negativity; I tend to let it roll off my back. I don’t let it bring me out of my character, you know. I’d rather block them than deal with them. But what I would say to the young artist is just to put all their emotions, to put everything into their art, and to not censor their art for nobody or for no reason.
I love my culture, and I like to inspire other people to take pride in their culture as well, especially the young ones.
I started painting and just getting all this feedback from people who are also in my situation, or people who can relate to my art. It really touched me, you know, and it really pushes me to keep painting.
Put all your emotions, whatever you’re going through — don’t be afraid to put it into your art.
MM: I think that’s really great advice. I wanted to ask you, you know, the theme of our magazine is “dream” — what’s your dream?
JS: One of my dreams is to inspire the young minds in future artists. Also, to create a nonprofit in the future to help others that are in my situation, or similar to my situation. But one of my biggest dreams is to be reunited with my family. I’ve been deported for six years, and before that I was incarcerated for eleven years. So it’s been a long time coming, and I want to go home to my family.
MM: Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, your dreams. I’m really so happy that I got to meet you and talk to you about your work, because I’m always checking out what new posts you have on Instagram. And I’m continuously inspired by your story and your art.
JS: Thank you so much. I appreciate you and thank you for having me. It means a lot.
In addition to touching audiences online, Javier Salazar touches the lives of hundreds of orphan children from Mexico and across Central America at a borderlands orphanage by donating art supplies and teaching art to the children.
ABOUT JAVIER SALAZAR
Painting at first was a way to deal with my anxiety, but once it started selling a little bit, it became a way to supplement my income. In Tijuana, jobs pay next to nothing, so everyone has a side hustle. One day the owner of the company I worked for got rid of my department, and I took the leap of faith and became a full-time artist. I once heard that if you do what you love for a living that you will never work a day in your life. Art is a passion of mine now; I hardly go a day without painting. I am an advocate for immigration reform and I use my art to shed light on these issues, and so my art in a way has become my voice that would otherwise go unheard. My biggest reward as an artist is when the kids say that I have inspired them in some way.
Learn more about Javier Salazar and his work on Instagram: @deportedartist.
DREAM is California’s newest arts and culture magazine, published by the California Arts Council, the state’s arts agency.
The annual publication features voices and stories from across the state, sharing a glimpse into the depth of impact of creativity and cultural expression in a region as large and diverse as California. The premier issue explores what it means to dream, introducing artists and culture bearers from communities throughout the state.
Visit www.arts.ca.gov/dream for more information.
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