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 The
exhibition of contemporary visual art has roots that extend back ten years. In
1992, amidst a tumultuous Los Angeles, the collective ADOBE LA (Architects,
Artists and Designers Opening the Border Edge of Los Angeles) began
researching and documenting a parallel cityscape and experience to that which
was usually portrayed in the media. Specifically, they examined Chicano and
Mexican immigrant communities, on both sides of the border and their relation to
the spaces/places of Southern California. As statistics confirm, over the past
few decades, these communities have transformed the region from the bottom up,
blurring the steadfast line of the U.S./Mexico Border. Taking Los Angeles and
Tijuana as regional flashpoints, ADOBE LA developed projects exploring the
similarities and differences in their built environment and visual/material
cultures.
Building upon this work, in 1994
Gustavo and Michael began conversations that turned into a long term
collaboration, combining Gustavo's knowledge of arts and culture with Michael's
knowledge of culture geography and postmodernity. The Mixed Feelings
project has taken the form of visual arts exhibition and a book. Our goal is to
explore the intersection of art and place in a region where borders are being
perpetually negotiated. Over a two year period, we invited artists and writers
involved with the project to several meetings for critical exchanges and to
create new work from our discussions. In this way, we hope to further the
process of envisioning a postborder world.
Gustavo Leclerc and Michael
J. Dear
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