Art as Liberation: Reflections on Rematriation

Session Description:

In a time when borders tighten and systemic violence escalates, Art as Liberation: Reflections on Rematriation offers an urgent and intimate look at the power of art to resist, heal, and transform. Through a deeply personal keynote, multidisciplinary artist, writer, and activist Leonina Arismendi unpacks their journey as a queer, undocumented artist who has turned creative expression into a form of survival—and revolution. From painting massive murals that reclaim public space to creating award-winning writing that unearths invisible labor, Arismendi’s work confronts the violence of erasure while uplifting the truths of those rendered voiceless. They have become a vital voice in movements for environmental justice, immigrant rights, and food sovereignty, using art not just to bear witness—but to build new worlds. In this powerful session, Arismendi will reflect on how their artistic practice has shaped and been shaped by resistance—from founding immigrant bail funds and community gardens to closing a beloved gallery due to white supremacist threats. They will speak candidly about the emotional toll of activism, the heartbreak of self-deportation, and the radical necessity of joy, community care, and cultural reclamation in the face of dehumanization.

Attendees will be invited to reconsider what art can do in times of crisis. How do we create when the systems around us want us silent or gone? How can organizations move beyond tokenism to materially invest in artists from impacted communities? How does “rematriation”—the act of returning to the land, the ancestors, and our full selves—redefine liberation in a world that demands assimilation? Part manifesto, part sermon, part testimony, this keynote is a call to action. Arismendi challenges fellow artists to stay rooted in their truth, to continue making art even when it feels impossible, and to see every brushstroke, poem, protest, and installation as part of a larger tapestry of collective liberation.