Art Lies, Volume 66, Summer 2010 Page: 78
96 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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mlm34;WVL. Pedro Reyes, Palas por pistolas, 2008-present; 1,527 weapons destroyed and
made into 1,527 shovels to plant 1,527 trees; special thanks to Jardin Botanico
Culiacan and The Coppel Collection
R. Mario Garcia Torres, Carta Abierta a Dr. Atl (An Open Letter to Dr. Atl), 2005;
Super 8 Ecktachrome film transferred to video; 6 minutes; courtesy the artist
and Proyectos Monclova, Mexico CityMARFA
In Lieu of Unity
Ballroom MarfaWhat does it mean to "be with" someone or something? Does a shared
existence mean that we are-or must be-unified in our experiences and
opinions? The current exhibition at Ballroom Marfa titled In Lieu of Unity
demonstrates that human existence is dependant on relationships-har-
monious, contested or otherwise.
To sustain and enrich our existence, we make efforts to communicate
with those people or things with which we aim to relate-efforts infused
with the expectation of reciprocation. To do this, we utilize an array of
social and cultural tools, including language, physical interactions and
creative or expressive acts. Additionally, we can engage in the exchange
of currencies, the values of which are determined by economic, social and
political conditions. Together these actions inform our existence, produc-
ing notions of connection-even possession. The participating artists of In
Lieu of Unity share two main traits: ethnicity and concern for these types of
social transactions, specifically at the U.S./Mexico border. The exhibition is
set against the backdrop of violence at the JuArez/El Paso line, and nearby
Arizona, which is in the midst of enforcing its own fearful and controver-
sial methods of border regulation.
The exhibition's most powerful works offer more than commentary or
observation; instead, they demonstrate and document direct actions that
infiltrate the dehumanizing systems affecting history, labor and wealth,
and news media. For example, centrally placed in Ballroom Marfa's North
Gallery, Margarita Cabrera's Space In Between exemplifies her commitment
to create aesthetic platforms for political and social-cultural conscious-
ness as a means of survival. For this collaborative project, Cabrera invitedmembers of Mexican migrant communities living in Houston to work with
traditional sewing and embroidery techniques that reflect the popular
culture, traditional rituals and myths of indigenous Otomi communities.
Together they developed a sewing and embroidery workshop at BOX 13
ArtSpace in Houston, where they used these culturally specific craft tech-
niques to produce sculptural replicas of desert plants indigenous to the
southwestern United States, the most frequently traveled route of immi-
gration into the U.S. The cloth replicas, sewn from green border-patrol
uniforms and embroidered with illustrations of the workers' personal
border-crossing experiences, are planted in traditional Mexican terra cotta
pots. Cabrera shares proceeds from the sale of these sculptures with the
craftsmen/women (see www.margaritacabrera.com).
In the same gallery is the video piece Carta Abierta a Dr. Atl (An Open
Letter to Dr. Atl), for which Mario Garcia Torres writes an inquisitive letter to
Mexican academic painter Gerardo Murillo, "Dr. Atl." Transcribed in English
subtitles on Super 8 footage of Barranca de Oblatos, near the city of
Guadalajara, Torres' words asks Dr. Atl (who had long since passed) for his
opinion on museum politics and their culturally destructive results-spe-
cifically in regard to a proposed Guggenheim Museum branch in Barranca
de Oblatos, the landscape that Dr. Atl so often painted.
MAximo GonzAlez' Inflation is simple yet poignant, illustrating the
variable and quickly declining value of Mexican and American currencies.
Hundreds of helium-filled, silver Mylar balloons, printed with a "10c" figure
on one side and the national insignia of Mexico on the other, form a slowly
shrinking heap near Ballroom Marfa's main entrance. Some balloons were78 ART LIES NO. 66
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Gupta, Anjali. Art Lies, Volume 66, Summer 2010, periodical, 2010; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth228031/m1/80/?q=%22Puleo%2C+Risa%22: accessed June 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .