Illegal Entry:: New Exhibition About the U.S. Mexico Border

Sat, May 6
7:30PM - 10:30PM
FREE

ILLEGAL ENTRY: A NEW EXHIBITION ABOUT THE U.S. MEXICO BORDER; The =

Builders, The Crossers, The Watchers and The Lives in Between.
Five California Artists Bring Their Border Experience to the Galer=EDa =

de la Raza.

What: Illegal Entry Exhibition

When: Opening Reception: Saturday, May 6 @ 7:30 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: May 6 - June 24
Artist Talk: Saturday, May 20, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.


Who: Participating Artists: Consuelo Jimenez-Underwood, Valerie =

Mendoza, Robin Lasser, Adrienne Pao, and Nora Raggio.

The Galer=EDa is proud to host one of its most timely and politically =

charged exhibitions since proposed new legislation around immigration =

spilled over into the nations' streets this past March. As the =

country discusses standards of territorial and economic security, =

Illegal Entry attempts to bridge pieces of the debate over the border =

onto the Galer=EDa's walls. Illegal Entry is a multidisciplinary =

exhibition based on the experience of five artists led by San Jos=E9 =

State Professor, Robin Lasser, into the California/Tijuana, Mexico =

border in October of 2005. Amidst the unraveling of Iraq and =

destabilization of the Middle East, the border has become the focus =

of our nation's increasing fear of terrorism and loss of security. =

Illegal Entry weaves a national story of fear and displacement; a =

material symbol that exacerbates the price of transgression and =

creates a bureaucratic infrastructure that must control and patrol =

the free passage of human beings.

The show's theme is of even greater relevance to Northern California; =

prosperous cities reliant on the hardworking people who have helped =

make California the seventh strongest economy in the world. Each =

piece in the exhibition examines the social implications of focusing =

the nation's attention onto the U.S./Mexico border as the site of =

America's fear and disenchantment with the dwindling possibility of =

peace and prosperity in the Middle East. The Ms. Homeland Security: =

Illegal Entry Dress Tent is the newest piece of wearable architecture =

from the Dress Tent photographic, sculptural and multimedia works =

created by the collaborative team of Robin Lasser and Adrienne Pao. =

The viewer/participant can seek refuge underneath the 10 foot high =

camouflage skirt to reflect upon multiple border issues: the physical =

border which separates two countries, the border between public and =

private, and the border between military presence and everyday life =

in a region defined by tension. Sounds of helicopters, sirens and =

gusty winds permeate the interior of the wearable architecture. =

Inside, those who seek refuge beneath the skirt are implicated with =

their own relationship to border issues.

Nora Raggio's "Which side are we on/De qu=E9 lado estamos" is a split =

screen video projection that brings to life close up images of both =

sides of the border fence that are oddly indistinguishable; creating =

a sense of the disorientation and alienation felt as one considers on =

which side one stands. Consuelo Jimenez-Underwood's Tortilla at the =

Tijuana Border recreates the current wall being built along the U.S. / =

Mexico border, often called by Mexican-Americans as the "Tortilla =

Curtain" in reference to the Iron Curtain of the Cold War. A =

satirical association between the loss of dignity and the degradation =

of community that the tortilla represents, a tortilla floats into the =

water as a reminder of its place of origin and a symbol of solidarity.
Valerie Mendoza's Different, naturally is a video that documents an =

on-site performance at the border where Valerie takes on the persona =

of an expert scientist out in the field, drawing various soil, water =

and air samples to highlight the scientific battle launched by =

corporate-funded research that serves to add legitimacy to notions of =

difference and exploitation to the rhetorical debate over immigration.

The artists hail from all over California and Latin America and their =

experience of the border bring to mind the many untold stories of the =

millions of nameless people currently helping California, and the =

rest of the nation, mitigate the effects of globalization. Illegal =

Entry makes its debut at a time when the border no longer defends or =

protects the U.S. against the effects of federal economic policies. =

The U.S. Mexico border is a geographical reality; its 1,952 miles =

reigniting a centuries-old debate about citizenship, democracy and =

the infamous pursuit of happiness. The show questions basic =

assumptions about who controls the border? Who protects whom from =

what? There are no simple answers, however, the stakes involve the =

lives of millions of people currently the backbone of the U.S. drive =

to bring democracy and prosperity to the world.

Venue:

Galeria de la Raza
2857 24th St.
San Francisco
415.826.8009
http://www.galeriadelaraza.org

Additional Info:

415.826.8009
http://www.galeriadelaraza.org