International Symposium on Migration (May 28)
Bodies in Motion: Humanizing Migrant Journeys in Derli Romero’s Rostros migrantes (Migrant Faces) and Mujeres en tránsito (Women in Transit)
Mexican artist Dr. Derli Romero and U.S. literary scholar Dr. Kimberle López will describe the process through which Romero’s artwork humanizes migrants traveling through Mexico toward the United States. Combining oral history, photography, and printmaking, Romero transforms migrants’ clothing and testimonies into moving works of art that illuminate the experiences often obscured in mainstream representations of migration.
- Day & Time： May 28th, 2026 (Thursday), 13:30-16:00 (opens at 13:10)
- Venue： Lab (2nd floor of WIHL)
- Language： English
- Participation： Free
- Participants： Open to general public (admission free, no registration necessary)
Flyer
Sponsor: The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library) Collaborator: The Waseda Institute of Latin American Studies
Program
- 13:10 Open
- 13:30 Opening remarks by Shigeko Mato, Associate Director of the International House of Literature
- 13:30-15:00 Presentation by Kimberle López and Derli Romero, followed by Q&A
- 15:00-15:20 Discussant: Megan Saltzman
- 15:20-16:00 More Q&A and conversation
In this presentation, Mexican artist Derli Romero and U.S. literary scholar Kimberle López will describe the process through which the interrelated art projects Rostros migrantes (2019) and Mujeres en tránsito (2025) emerged. These two projects humanize migrants traveling through Mexico toward the United States. Combining oral history, photography, and printmaking, Romero transforms migrants’ clothing and testimonies into moving works of art that illuminate the lived experiences often obscured in mainstream media representations of migration. Romero began by interviewing more than 100 migrants from Central America and South America passing through Mexico on their way north, recording their testimonies and photographing their profiles. He then exchanged their old clothes for new ones and made paper from the fabric. Using the photographs, he created profile silhouettes on the handmade paper and printed each migrant’s short narrative on them. While Rostro migrantes features face silhouettes, Mujeres en tránsito focuses specifically on women migrants, presenting full-body silhouettes and testimonies that reveal the specific forms of violence and vulnerability women experience during migration. The installation, displayed with suspended silhouettes and audio recordings, invites participants/viewers to perceive the realities of migration and encourages a more humanized understanding of migrants’ experiences.
Presenters
Dr. Derli Romero is a professional artist, printmaker and bookmaker with a bachelor’s degree in Engraving from “La Esmeralda” National Academy in Mexico City and a PhD from the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. He teaches Art at the University in Michoacán, Mexico. His artwork has been exhibited in Mexico and internationally in individual and collective exhibits in the United States, Russia, and now Japan. His current work focuses on the theme of Central American and South American migration through Mexico.
Dr. Kimberle López has a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and is an Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, United States. She is the author of the book Latin American Novels of the Conquest: Reinventing the New World on the connection between history and fiction. Her research focuses on the representation of race, class, and gender in Latin American Literature with a current focus on the topic of migration.
Discussant
Dr. Megan Saltzman teaches courses in Hispanic Cultural Studies at Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts, US) and is currently a visiting researcher at Sophia University. She is the author of the book Public Everyday Space: Cultural Politics in Neoliberal Barcelona.
Contact
Waseda International House of Literature Office
Email: wihl-koubo★list.waseda.jp (Please replace ★ with @.)
Notes
- Please note that if the venue reaches full capacity, attendees may be asked to stand or admission may be restricted.
- Photography, video recording, and audio recording by audience members are not permitted during the event.
- The organizers may photograph or record the event. Such images and recordings may be published at a later date on the website of the Waseda International House of Literature or those of partner organizations involved in the event.Thank you for your understanding.
