Art

CECUT inaugurates "La Frontera" jewelry exhibition, a binational collaboration with Mingei International Museum in San Diego

"La Frontera" will showcase part of its artwork at El Cubo and another part will be exhibited at the Mingei International Museum located in Balboa Park

By Patricia Martínez Holguín2024-02-20T21:57:00+00:00

Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) is inviting people from both Californias to its most recent exhibition "La Frontera"; a collaboration that is part of the official program of World Capital Design 2024 and of the first binational designation in the history of WDC, as it was given to the Tijuana-San Diego region.

As part of this collaboration, “La Frontera” will showcase its artworks both at CECUT and at Mingei International Museum, located in Balboa Park, San Diego.

This art exhibition consists of international contemporary jewelry artists. Some of them are artists who were born, grew, or currently live in the Mexico-US border region and who are presenting a message that shows the deep connection between border life and the body.

Borders of art or the art of the border: An exhibition that tells tens of stories

This exhibition explores the complexity of the border through jewelry and addresses issues such as homes, migration, landscapes, and identity.

This could interest you: Back to the 70s! Salón Tijuana will make you dance with the hits of the decade

Each artist shares stories about immigration, cultural diversity, and the things that unite and create contrast at the border; expanding the ways and functions of jewelry as a way of expression while sharing a reflective message.

This contemporary exhibition shows how this art is constantly redefined, with artists that reflect current issues and tell personal identity memories through their projects.

Art is not just a reflection of the world, it commits itself to it

Several materials were transformed into contemporary jewelry pieces such as fabrics, cement, metals, plastic, and belongings found of migrants that were transformed into works of art.

Other pieces, for example, work as a representation of what is experienced in the border. Such is the case with a piece that was made with water gallons, not taken from the desert, but that do signify the passage of immigrants, their challenges, and the things they lack.

Other works of art stand out such a colorful piñata shaped like a drone with the phrase "Te estoy wachando", which exemplifies the surveillance and security system in borders, especially in the United States.

Another piece of art that stands out consists of an immense red mask accompanied with the Mexican and US flags, which are positioned between two heads: the first one is a bald eagle and the second one is a golden eagle, both species representing a particular country.

Throughout the years, immigrants have been represented through numbers and statistics, but art shares their story, humanizes them, and gives them a name.

“La Frontera”: Simultaneous Tijuana-San Diego exhibition

Centro Cultural Tijuana is presenting this traveling exhibition together with Mingei International Museum in San Diego.

This exhibition has now traveled to Mingei and CECUT after it was inaugurated at the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts in El Paso, Texas, and Cultural Border Center of Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua in 2023.

Inaugurated for the first time in 2013, this exhibition considered the border as a place where the complex relations between both countries are more visible. In its 10th anniversary, the exhibition gathers many artists from its first edition to continue deepening the collection of life experiences from cross border people.

Visit the "La Frontera" exhibition at Sala 3 in Museo El Cubo. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 7 PM and prices are $50 pesos per adult, $30 pesos per child, and admission is free on Sundays.

International collaborations in CECUT

Dr. Vianka Santana, director of Centro Cultural Tijuana, spoke about the commitment that the institution has in collaborating and providing conditions so that more national and international exhibitions come to our city and strengthen the bond and links with other communities through artistic and cultural expression.

"Permanently, CECUT has a lot of interaction with different institutions in San Diego, especially with universities and with galleries, that allow for the presence of artists such as the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. All of this occurs in the region so that it promotes a cultural and binational exchange," Dr. Santana said.

She explained that the "La Frontera" exhibition is coming thanks to curator Carmen Cuenca, who has been a strong promoter of binational projects and has promoted dialogue between artists of the Cali-Baja region.

This same cultural promoter was the one in charge of giving the opening statement at the inauguration and said the following:

"We are firm believers in bilateral relations between these two border cities, my work has been to create binational and interinstitutional alliances and, above all, benefit artists," Cuenca explained.

Upcoming activities and events at Centro Cultural Tijuana

The director of CECUT shared that one of the main projects that will be arriving in the next few weeks is Tercera Fiesta del Arte Tradicional which will take place on March 16 and March 17 to celebrate International Artisans' Day.

She also said that they are expecting the scenic staging of the National Theater Company. In addition, there are two important literature events coming up: the 3rd edition of Ding: Una fiesta hecha de liros, from April 18 to April 21, focused on the graphic novel and science fiction with workshops and talks about making comics with guest writers and illustrators.

There is also Feria del Libro Tijuana, which will pay tribute to Elena Poniatowska and will take place from May 17 to May 26.

"Regarding this binational framework, there is an opera concert coming halfway through the year and, internationally speaking, there is the celebration of the 2nd Triennial Edition, a project that was born in this administration and gathers artistic talents from different parts of the world. This new edition will arrive on July 26 and there will be 100 selected participants. The prize is one of the highest in the country: 1 million pesos directly for the artists, and 2 honorific mentions of $250,000 pesos," Dr. Santana said.

If you wish to learn about other activities in 2024, click the following link: 2024 Events in CECUT.

Visit three exhibitions at El Cubo

Tickets to enter the El Cubo museum will be available at CECUT ticket booths and at www.cecut.gob.mx. Admission is free on Sundays and this access allows you to enter three art rooms.

Discover the exhibition "Arte y Resistencia", a community-based exhibition that reflects the reality of the country's native people and will allow the public to recognize and relate the cultural characteristics of each community.

The exhibition "David Cerny: Rebelión" will also be taking place. Among his works of art, there are the famous "Tower Babies", a project that consists of giant babies that are more than 2 meters tall with barcodes instead of faces. Cerny makes a social and political critique through his artwork.

We recommend: Controversial projects by David Cerny will be shown in Tijuana for the first time