Sergio Aguillon-Mata

For Sergio Aguillon-Mata, it took a few years—and a few cities—to understand that in order to find belonging and connection, he had to get out of his comfort zone and
build the community he sought.

Before moving to Cincinnati in the summer of 2012, he’d left behind his life of academia in Mexico to live in Germany, then Austin, Texas. His friend and former literary collaborator, Manuel, was preparing to move a wife and young children to Cincinnati in order to attend the PhD program at University of Cincinnati. Sergio wanted to be there to support his move, to provide a “buffer in his cultural integration.” And he hoped that they might launch a new literary magazine together in the process.

What happened next surprised him. Instead of Sergio being the liaison to life in the states, Manuel became Sergio’s bridge to community. Once Sergio began to connect with others he recognized just how isolated he’d felt in Austin.

“Having him around was very good for me to start growing roots in the states,” Sergio says.

Also to his surprise, Sergio started working in nonprofits, first the Freestore Foodbank, and later the Community Action Agency. Now his day-to-day involves talking to legislators, securing funding, and developing programs that will serve the community. He also shares his experience with newcomers, emphasizing that without established community and familiarity with a place, a person can feel isolated and disconnected.
Developing that community is essential.

Sergio is still a dedicated artist and maintains a practice of both writing and painting. Through his work, he explores themes of confinement and loneliness, arguably reflecting some of the many emotional facets of immigration.

“The idea was to come up with a sense of alienation in the subject,” he says of a painting that references Alice in Wonderland. The subject is large in relation to the frame it’s in, like a person who has outgrown their surroundings. “The space seems too small, almost like choking.” This painting is one of the last in a series that he started pre-pandemic. With people confined to their homes, many faced a feeling of isolation that Sergio has identified with the experience of immigration. “At the beginning, it was very clearly human figures,” he says. “[Then I had] this urge to portray, I guess, more complex feelings.”

Being in touch with the emotional weight of starting fresh in a new country is a gift that supports Sergio’s work as immigrant liaison. He knows, now, that people can only feel at home if they find the community and work to anchor them. And even then, it’s a complex experience to adapt to a new country, one that Sergio can empathize with.

“Homeland Security tells you that you relinquish your nationality,” he says. “But it’s not as simple as that. Your identity remains as it is. It’s just an addition to it.”