The Body is the Map

The Body is a Map is related to Jaar’s series Coyote!, which focuses on individuals (known as “coyotes”) who assist undocumented Mexicans in crossing the border to the United States. The central image shows the back of an elderly coyote’s head; the veins and lines on his aged neck are repeated in various orientations throughout the surrounding grid of prints. The likening of the body to a map suggests not only the trajectory of a person’s life—a record of which is apparent on one’s very skin—but also the often-politicized, geographic mobility of bodies.