Costras Pendientes: an Exhibition Activiation of Abraham Cruzvillegas: HI, HOW ARE YOU, GONZO?
"Abraham Cruzvillegas embraces the concept of autoconstrucción—loosely defined as “self-constructing”—in a vibrant artistic practice imbued with a sense of constant becoming, a curiosity to learn and share information.Aligned to Cruzvillegas’s idea of autoconstrucción, Costras Pendientes is a performative work that creates a reciprocal exchange and reflects on the migrant experience. Artist Michael Anthony García, as a member of the Latinx community living in the US, migrates from one end of the gallery to the other, is assisted by Stephanie Page, acting as a non-POC seamstress and ally, who attempts to aid his journey. By assisting García in his efforts of motion and growth through the space, the seamstress flips the usual narrative of maquiladoras(through which the work of underpaid laborers south of the border is exploited to create cheap products for consumers in the US), with Page’s role shifting to one of advocacy rather than consumption and implicit oppression." - The Contemporary Austin
“Costras Pendientes” with Michael Anthony García and @vividvoltage for #abrahamcruzvillegas : Hi, how are you, Gonzo?, The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center, Austin, Texas, July 6, 2019. Artwork © Abraham Cruzvillegas. Courtesy the artist and @kurimanzutto , Mexico City and New York. Image courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons.