Chantal Peñalosa's 'Unfinished Business Garage' at Proyectos Monclova revisits Border Art legacies
Chantal Peñalosa's show, 'Unfinished Business Garage,' was held at Proyectos Monclova in Mexico City from November 7 to December 21, 2019. Peñalosa, who was born in Tecate, Baja California, in 1987, delves into the histories of Border Art, which traces its roots to the establishment of the Border Art Workshop/Taller de Arte Fronterizo in San Diego in 1984. This collective, which included figures like David Avalos and Guillermo Gómez-Peña, utilized art to confront political challenges at the US–Mexico border. In her exhibition, Peñalosa incorporates archival images of InSite projects by artists such as Helen Escobedo and Alfredo Jaar, reinterpreting them with new titles. She also showcases metal shelving units filled with items from her collaborations with Tijuana's Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, reflecting on the work of earlier border artists. The exhibition embodies Peñalosa's quest to clarify a multifaceted legacy.
Key facts
- Chantal Peñalosa's exhibition 'Unfinished Business Garage' was held at Proyectos Monclova in Mexico City from 7 November to 21 December 2019.
- Peñalosa was born in 1987 in Tecate, Baja California, and her work engages with Border Art histories.
- The Border Art Workshop/Taller de Arte Fronterizo (BAW/TAF) was founded in 1984 in San Diego, with members including David Avalos, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, and Sara-Jo Berman.
- InSite was a cross-border art event that ran from 1992 to 2005, coinciding with the 1994 implementation of NAFTA.
- Peñalosa framed archival photographs of InSite works by artists Helen Escobedo, Silvia Gruner, Alfredo Jaar, and Marcos Ramírez ERRE, placing them at original border locations.
- She re-photographed these framed images with updated titles on gold plaques, such as 'Afterlife of By The Night Tide by Helen Escobedo, 1994 (2019)'.
- 'Unfinished Business Garage I/V (2019–23)' includes metal shelving units with objects from collaborations with students at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in Tijuana.
- The exhibition was reviewed in the March 2020 issue of ArtReview, exploring how border art legacies relate to contemporary violent border enforcement.
Entities
Artists
- Chantal Peñalosa
- David Avalos
- Guillermo Gómez-Peña
- Sara-Jo Berman
- Helen Escobedo
- Silvia Gruner
- Alfredo Jaar
- Marcos Ramírez ERRE
Institutions
- Proyectos Monclova
- Border Art Workshop/Taller de Arte Fronterizo (BAW/TAF)
- InSite
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
- ArtReview
Locations
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Tecate
- Baja California
- San Diego
- United States
- Tijuana