The Collaborative is a new exhibition space that was created as part of the gallery421 development by Lyon Communities in fulfillment of the RDA’s Percent for Public Art program. The space is being managed by the Arts Council for Long Beach, which will be choosing guest curators for two 3 month exhibitions, and the Museum of Latin American Art, which will be curating exhibitions the other half of the year.
The current show, DESCARTES, features work that uses discarded materials. Organized by MOLAA, and curated by Idurre Alonso, it includes pieces by Jaime Ruiz Otis, Camilo Ontiveros, Dream Addictive.
Idurre spoke about the show, and provided a brief video tour.
: Since we haven’t worked much with local artists we thought this was the perfect opportunity to do so. And, when I say local I mean not only the L.A area, but Tijuana as well. I met with different artists, looked at their work, and came with the concept of Descartes. Descartes in Spanish means to eliminate. All the artists in the exhibition work with discarded materials, or elements such as stickers from the maquiladoras, the assembly factories in Tijuana, used electronic materials, used mattreses and washer machines, and second hand puzzles.
Sander: Are these materials used as ‘found’ objects, and presented just as they are, or as the raw materials for new works?
Idurre: In some cases they are found objects that are presented in a different way, like the puzzle pieces or the stickers. In both cases the artists create installations with them, but the elements are not really transformed, just presented in a different way. In the case of the electronic materials the artists create sound boxes that work with solar energy. The washer machine and the mattreses are presented tied up with ropes in they way these objects are transported from LA to Tijuana.
Sander: How did you connect with this group of artists?
Idurre: I knew the work of some of them, others were recommended by other curators. I went to Tijuana and met with about 10 artists before making the decision on what the exhibition was going to be like. I tried to gather as much information as I could.
Sander: What is the art scene like in Tijuana?
Idurre: The art scene in Tijuana is very dynamic. There are many artists working on interesting projects. Our idea is to keep working with artists from that area for future exhibitions. The artists there are working in many different directions, and I think it is something that the visitor will see in the exhibition, where you have a work of art (the puzzle piece) that relates to minimalism, the sound boxes that are part of electronic art, or the mattreses that have a connection with the work of artists such as Rouschenberg.
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The gallery is located at 421 Broadway. Metered parking is available on the street, and there is an on-site lot that charges $10. The gallery’s hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11:00am ñ 5:00pm, Thursday 11:00 am ñ 9:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 11:00am ñ 6:00pm.
