MexiCali Style

[Image: Oragami Road Signs, Andrew Armstrong, 1998.]

Just came across this. Following the lead of in_Site05 and Strange New World, and probably tons of other cool exhibition/intervention/art events I sadly cannot even name, there is now the MexiCali Biennial, that just kicked off this year opening last Saturday, October 7th.
The 2006 MexiCali Biennial spans two events across the US-Mexico border. First, an exhibition of thirteen Los Angeles-based artists in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The second event is a multi-media show with visual artists, live bands and DJs from both Los Angeles and Mexicali in East Los Angeles, California. More info about the schedule here.


[Image: MexiCali, Calexico. Courteousy of MexiCali Biennial, 2006.]

From the website:

The concept for the MexiCali Biennial is to provide a platform for border crossing contemporary art exhibitions. These exhibitions will features artists from southern California and the bordering Mexican states. the MexiCali Biennial may occur on either side of the U.S.-Mexican boders...[it} will provide an opportunity for artists to exhibit their work internationally and engage with the surrounding condition of the exhibition sites. This exchangeprocess will facilitate open dialogues with both artists and audiences through the sharing of culture.


[Image: Blackhawks mixed media on didactic panles, Ed Gomez.]

Projects involve on and off-site installations and border-crossing interventions including Ed Gomez's 100 Envelopes from Los Angeles to Mexicali, consisting of 100 envelopes mailed between California and Mexico each containing a one-inch section of a map of the US-Mexican border, to be reassembled in the gallery. Mike Rogers fosters communication in his installation entitled "Telephone/Teléfono" consisting of two 10-foot telephone poles on either side of the border fence separating Calexico and Mexicali, connected by the string and tin cans of a child's telephone game. Cindy Santos Bravo's multi-layered construction investigates histories of imposed security barriers across international borders.

[Image: Ben Gurion Airport, Cindy Sanos Bravo.]

So, well, yeah, if you're in L.A., or even anywhere near it, go check it out - just do it, DO IT - and let us know what you think.

(via: art.blogging.la)