Si existe un tema que merece ser contado con cámaras, tiempo y honestidad periodística, ese es Border art. Lo que revelan las investigaciones más rigurosas sobre este asunto va mucho más allá de lo que aparece en los titulares.
Los antecedentes
Border Art is a contemporary art practice rooted in the socio-political experience(s), such as of those on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, or frontera. Since its conception in the mid-80’s, this artistic practice has assisted in the development of questions surrounding homeland, borders, surveillance, identity, race, ethnicity, and national origin(s).
Border art as a conceptual artistic practice, however, opens up the possibility for artists to explore similar concerns of identity and national origin(s) but whose location is not specific to the Mexico- United States border. A border can be a division, dividing groups of people and families. Borders can include but are not limited to language, culture, social and economic class, religion, and national identity. In addition to a division, a border can also conceive a borderland area that can create a cohesive community separate from the mainstream cultures and identities portrayed in the communities away from the borders, such as the Tij
Cómo se desarrolló
History of Border Art specific to the Mexico-United States Border The first artwork relating to border art was a multimedia piece title Siluetas Encarnadas, or Incarnated Silhouettes, by Zopilote (Manuel Mancillas). This piece was performed by Zopilote an consisted of music, dance, and a bilingual spoken word. Although there was no direct reference to the U.S.-Mexico border, it portrays Zopilote’s vision of the chaotic, cultural convergence of the borderland Ila Nicole Sheren states, “Border Art didn’t become a category until the Border Art Workshop/Taller de Arte Fronterizo (BAW/TAF). Starting in 1984, and continuing in several iterations through the early twenty-first century, the binational collective transformed San Diego-Tijuana into a highly charged site for conceptual performance art …The BAW/TAF artists were to link performance, site-specificity, and the U.S.-Mexico Border, as well as the first to export “border art” to other geographic locations and situations.” A proponent
Dato clave: Situated in the El Paso / Juarez borderlands, this interactive work utilizes large searchlights as a means for participants on either side of the border to communicate with one another.
Las voces que deben escucharse
Related artworks Border Tuner is a project by the Mexican-Canadian Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer that explores connections which exist between cities and people on either side of the Mexico - United States border. Situated in the El Paso / Juarez borderlands, this interactive work utilizes large searchlights as a means for participants on either side of the border to communicate with one another. When one beam of light interacts with another, a microphone and speaker automatically switch on allowing participants on both sides to communicate across the hardened infrastructure which divides their two countries. The searchlight, most commonly used in applications of surveillance and apprehension of migrants by the United States Border Patrol is one of the symbols which Lozano-Hemmer subverts in his work. Of this loaded symbol he says: “I find searchlights absolutely abhorrent, that’s why I must work with them.” Photographer David Taylor focused on the U.S.-Mexico border by following monume
El impacto real
Border art has been the subject of considerable study and documentation. Border Art is a contemporary art practice rooted in the socio-political experience(s), such as of those on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, or frontera. Since its conception in the mid-80’s, this artistic practice has assisted in the development of questions surrounding homeland, borders, surveillance, identity, race, ethnicity, and national origin(s).
Por qué esta historia importa
La historia de Border art no es solo un relato del pasado. Es un espejo que nos ayuda a entender el México de hoy — sus contradicciones, su resiliencia, sus retos y su potencial. Conocerla es un primer paso hacia una conversación más honesta sobre el país y la sociedad que queremos construir.
[ ENCUESTA RÁPIDA ]