Group Exhibition artist/ co-curator La Antigua Aduana Nuevo Laredo, Mexico November 2008 Box13 Houston, TX November 2009

Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] is a predominantly installation and found-object sculpture show I am participating in and co-curating with Salvador Castillo and Hector Hernandez in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

The works fill the huge Antigua Aduana which was formerly a warehouse for the Customs offices. More information can be found here.

For me, Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] is a show about the identity of objects, whether in their present states, altered or how they are represented in images. It relates to the anthropomorphic relationships that these objects' have with each other as well as with their own individual connotation or converted meanings. HLBSS [artcrush] also speaks about re-appropriation of and object's identity as well as their aesthetic.

The other guiding aspect of the show that grew out of the aesthetic, was the “crush” factor. Being predominantly a found-object and installation artist myself, I was inexorably drawn to artists’ work that somehow conversed with my own. It's like visiting a foreign land and coming across someone else who speaks the same language. It is within that natural attraction that I connected with and "crushed" on certain artists' bodies of work, and that connection partially fueled my desire to seek out their for this show.

Group Exhibition
artist/ co-curator

La Antigua Aduana
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
November 2008

Box13
Houston, TX
November 2009

hasta la basura se separa [artcrush]

Nuevo Laredo Version, Press Release:

The Antigua Aduana proudly announces Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush], an exhibition curated by the Austin-based group Los Outsiders: Salvador Castillo, Michael Anthony García and Hector Hernandez. Presented in the border town of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] features the work of 15 contemporary artists from Texas, New York and Utah.

The artists in this exhibition, Robert Boland (Austin, TX), Jaime Castillo (Austin, TX), Hunter Cross (Austin, TX), Michael Anthony García (Austin, TX), Katy Heinlein (Houston, TX), Hector Hernandez (Austin, TX), William Hundley (Austin, TX), Kathy Kelley (Houston, TX), Michelle Mayer (Brooklyn, NY), Eduardo Muñoz (Austin, TX), Teruko Nimura (Austin, TX), Jared Steffensen (Salt Lake City, UT), Jade Walker (Austin, TX), Mike Womack (Brooklyn, NY) and Eric Zimmerman (Austin, TX), consist mostly of sculptural and installation practices. With a special emphasis on found objects and the use of recycled materials these artists mix their personal memories with our greater cultural histories.

The Antigua Aduana Cultural Space in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas ,Mexico is a historical building that originally served as the warehouses of the Custom House.

The complex also contains the Sergio Peña concert Hall.

The Antigua Aduana Cultural Space is located at César López de Lara and Arteaga, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] will be on view Nov 15 thru Dec 31, 2008.

Antigua Aduana

Avenida César López de Lara y Arteaga

Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11:00am to 6:00pm

Houston Version, Press Release:

Box 13 Artspace
November 14 – December 31, 2009
Opening reception Saturday, November 14, 7-9:30pm

Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] is an exhibition curated by the Austin-based group Los Outsiders: Salvador Castillo, Michael Anthony García and Hector Hernandez. Originally presented at the Galleria del Espacio Cultural de la Antigua Aduana in the border town of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] features the work of 13 contemporary artists from Texas, New York & Utah.

With a special emphasis on found objects and the use of recycled materials these artists relate the identity of objects, whether in their present states, altered or how they are represented in images, to their individual connotations as well as their shared meanings. As this exhibition was conceived specifically for Nuevo Laredo, the artists mix their personal memories with our greater cultural histories creating different levels of site specificity to their work. Jade Walker created new work reacting to the architecture observed at the Antigua Aduana. Eduardo Muñoz’ photographs are layered with personal, family photographs that double as Cuban/Communist political documentation, but it’s the architectural elements within the collaged images that relate to the building’s recent restoration/renovations. Robert Boland’s sculpture and video are not site specific, but the proximity to the border warrants contemplation. Hunter Cross includes a nuanced effort that touches on the seasonal timing of the exhibition, the Aduana’s history as a warehouse, US-Mexico immigration relations and US military “mass detention centers”.

Consolidating the histories of the materials, the artists, the gallery and the city itself, Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] pushes the viewer beyond what has already transpired. Waste is no longer a discarded remnant, memories have not faded into obscurity, architecture has not been forgotten and life has not ended. Instead of lamenting shifting realities, this group takes the products of transition and rebuilds looking toward tomorrow. New objects, new structures and new relationships take form and renewed hope becomes possible.

Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] will be on view Nov 14 thru Dec 31, 2009.

Downloadable PDF files of press to come