Tijuana Triennial – Exciting International Art Just Across the Border

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Tijuana Triennial – Exciting International Art Just Across the Border by Genie Davis

Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) is beautiful museum and art center, and the home to the 2024-2025 Tijuana Triennial art exhibition. In its second iteration, the International Pictorico features a wide array of stunning installations, paintings, sculptures, and more from 87 artists from 14 international locations.

Cultural promoter and plastics artist Alvara Blancarte, along with Mexico’s Secretariat of Culture, and CECUT itself brought this program into being to both support artistic talent in Mexico and abroad, and to position Tijuana itself as home to a superb exhibition and musuem.  The international call to artists focused on conceptualizing artistic possibility that were fresh and creative to rpresent new artistic explorations, dimensions, and techniques, and above all, to challenge traditional ideas of “art.” Over 537 proposals were received, from which the 86 exhibiting artists were carefully culled, representing Mexico, the U.S., Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, England, Costa Rica, Cuba, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, Paraguay, Spain, and Peru.

The artists’ work runs the gamut interms of medium and subject, the latter ranging from artificial intelligence to migration, personal violence, and politcal and social strife. Per the museum’s curatorial statement,  the works “contribute to the biological, literary, environmentalist, femicidal, racist, territorial, gender narratives, and more.” Curated and juried by Brazilian critic, writer, and academic Leonor Amarante, the exhibition opened last July and runs through February 2025. Viewers can engage in the exhibition as well,  by voting for the works affect them the most. The winning artist receives a prize of 1 million pesos, with additional prizes for the second and third place winners.

Among those exhibiting are returning Miami-based Venezuelan artist Rafael Montilla, this time with his suspended pyramidic sculpture “Door to the Universe.”

Costa Rican artist Karla Herencia, with “What are those stains that float?”, an installation that combines paintings and sculptures shaped from plastic fragments found beaches near Cóbano, Puntarenas, that speaks to the destructive plastic waste disposed of and dispersed in our oceans.

On the politcal and social front, Mexican artist Daniel Ruanova’s “Heraldy for an Emerging Political Society,” and Yumnia Duarte (Mexico)’s “We Can’t Hold Back the Water,” also shine.

There are fabric based works including a haunting familial circle that depict ephmeral hanging dresses; a vast “room” shaped from diaphonous fabric panels of larger-than-life female figures enduring often frightening changes in “Volatile intimacy: tales from a nomadic body-house that manages to cross legal and inhuman boundaries,” a powerful piece by Venezuelan artist Sofia Saavedra.

There are light and sound works, from Argentinian/Brazilian artist TEC with his projected floor work depicting the moving outline of a body and cars in a parking lot,  “Asphalt in Motion,” and the wonderfully interactive – visitors may write on a shard of pottery – black light installation replete with “flying carpet” and a celestial-appearing black urn, “Take Off Terminal” from EcoPola Art (Mexico.)

There’s a sculptural work consisting of trash found along the Tijuana border crossing with the U.S.; a black-lit room illuminating glowing paintings of men with large bottles of water; and a magenta and hot pink shiny room, which when crossed – wearing paper booties to protect the floor’s surface – reveals a soft furry magenta room, and a video depicting a wounded man.

 

In another space there stands a vast army of headless female maniquins clad in diaphonous skirts with vests made of leaves, on which are painted a series of faces.

The work was created by XoQue, an art group that invites viewers to “walk among the pinata dress-form to highlight the injustices occuring on the the female body where many are violantly assaulted in public spaces. Here we can reflect on how a united community can create healing change in third spaces. Which body form speaks to you?”

From a large sculptural abacus to lush fiber art that moves in multi-colored waves across a surface and Pablo Castaneda’s “The Sentinel,” spray paint on found objects, there are so many fascinating, meaningful works to view, roadmaps, as it were, to the human condition.

Among these many stellar works are an astonishing collage and series of delicate, haunting mosaic tower scultpures made of ceramic shards from Peggy Sivert (Portugese Bend Projects) “The Past Presents.” Sivert layers ceramic fragments around a central iron armature, and a concrete mastic, giving a fresh new life to castoff ceramics.

 

 

Also singularly imperssive is a large-scale, layered, and richly evocative acrylic painting from Sierra Madre-based artist Eva Malhorta, who quite literally carves into her painted works, here, the lushly intricate work, “Call to the Sacred.” Malhorta works in encaustic and carved work, oil and acrylic painting, installations, performance, and photography. The work is glowing, an intimately connected network of lines and shapes, intricate and mysterious.

Both Sivert and Malhorta are tremendously accomplished artists, whose versality and range have led to countless LA-area and international exhibitions. While completely different concepturally, both artists’ works were among the most beautiful and powerful in the vast exhibition. It’s not easy to be standouts in a collection of standouts, but these two Los Angeles artists have more than managed it.

In all, exhibiting artists include:

Alba Esperanzaaa
Alexander V Molina
Alfredo Gallegos Mena
Alicia In Spiral
Alvaro Fernandez Melchor
Ana Karen Rodriguez Sanchez
Angelica Escoto
Anirakconk
Architectural Artist Alvaro Alvarez
Armand
Azucena Leticia Gomez Rodriguez
Becky Guttin
Braulio Adrian Huerta Ortiz
Camilo Bojaca Ardila
Candor Chavez
Carolina Villanueva Lucero
Celeste Flores
Cesar Meneghetti
Christian Becerra
Claudia Casarino
Coletivo Duas Marias
Constanza Fregoso
Dalia Ortega
Daniel Ruanova
David Bucio
Julie Hermoso
Jupiterfab
Karla Herencia
Kubemanart
Leka Mendes
Leonor Hochschild
Luis Aduna
Luis Fitch
Maik Jimenez
Marcela Roldan De Luna
Marcio Almeida
Maria Belen Robeda
Maria Gloria Nieto Montero
Maria Orozco
Marila Dardot
Maru Ulivi
Mila Gross
Monica Aceves
Nereida Dusten
Omar Castillo
Oscar Ratto
Oslyn Whizar Toscano
Othon Castaneda
Pablo Castaneda
Patricia Henriquez
Patricie Gerber
David Eduardo Santillan Caicedo
Diana Olarte
Ecopola Art
Caradura Editions
Elena Parau
Emmanuel Bornstein
Enrique Rubio
Esmeralda Torres
Eva Malhotra
Evangelista
Fabiana Wolf
Felipe Coaquira Charca
Franco Mendéz Calvillo
Gabriela González Leal
Geoneide Brandão
Gerardo Mendez
German Betancur
Groom
Guadalupe Reyes
Gustavo Dalinha
Hector Zamora
Ivan Martinez
Jonathan Vasquez
Jorge A Palos
Jose Patricio
Peggy Sivert
R. Trompaz
Rafael Perea De La Cabada
Regina Silveira
Renato Pera
Rene Gomez Ome
Ricardo Pinto
Ricardo Van Steen
Rocco Almanza
Saldaña
Salgado
Samara Colina
Scott Henry Hopkins
Shuta Ruelas
Sofia Saavedra
Solis Apollon
Stephania Bueno
Suzanna Gonzalez-Revillo
Tec
Ttzarzar
Tufo
Xoque Art In Motion
Yuan Gong
Yumnia Duarte
Zaka

 

Do cross the border this month and experience this involving and lovely exhibition. The museum offers easy parking; if you prefer to park on the Chula Vista U.S. side, you can cross the border on foot and take a five minute cab ride to the museum for a few dollars. CECUT is open 10-7, Tuesday-Sunday. The address is: P.º de los Héroes 9350, Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana
Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, CA

  • Genie Davis; photos, Genie Davis

A Winter Island Get Away

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A Winter Island Getaway – by Genie Davis

We’ve stayed on Catalina Island many times, often exploring the museum, the casino, or inland hiking. Off-season is one of the best times to go – fewer crowds, often perfect weather, and excellent ways to save on costs, too. This year, Catalina Express and close to 20 hotel partners, including for  Banning House Lodge in Two Harbors for the first time,  are sharing its popular “Best of Winter” ferry and hotel packages, now through March 14th.

The Casino is stunning, as are its tours; the museum always has special exhibitions and a terrific, historic permanent collection. There are new restaurants to experience such as the first biergarten in Avalon, Fix Biergarten, and the revamped Lobster Trap, as well as the brand new waterfront Pier 24, which pays tribute to the island’s original Steamer Pier from 1924.  There’s also a new  Pearl Discovery Experience, an interactive pearl jewelry experience, many eco tours into Catalina’s interior, and of course outdoor fun from hiking to parasailing, kayaking, and diving.

Speaking of diving, perhaps you’ll want to participate in the Underwater Cleanup in its 43rd annual iteration on February 22nd, or the Catalina Island Maraton 10k or 5k on March 8th.

The package offers round trip boat transport for two, and a variety of hotel packages:

At Banning House Lodge, guests can experience the beauty of Two Harbors, and wide views of both the Isthmus and Catalina Harbor, along with a selection of evening wine and cheese, and continental breakfast. Note that this venue is not open in January; check dates with the hotel, but due to weather, the property is typically open starting March 1st.

Ready for your visit right now, the Catalina Canyon Inn offers views, a pool, shuttle service from its spot just above town into Avalon Center, and an on-site restaurant.

The Aurora provides an ocean-centric theme and ambiance in a boutique hotel vibe, with Continental breakfast; Hotel Mac Rae is beach front in the center of town, a Continental breakfast served in its open-air courtyard, and after check-out shower facilities if you plan to get in a kayak session, dive, or swim before departing. At the Bellanca, guest will enjoy a bottle of sparkling wine, as well as a taxi ride to and from the boat landing.

Stay tuned to see what we will experience on the island, which is accessible via Catalina Express form San Pedro, Long Beach, and Dana Point in as little as one hour.  From nature to cultural experiences, from history to hiking, snorkeling to fishing to spa experiences, Catalina has a little bit of everything an island getaway can offer – close to home and mellower and more magical off-season. For more info, check out the Winter Packages here. 

  • Genie Davis; island photos by Genie Davis; Catalina Express image provided by Catalina Express.

 

 

 

Island Hop: Ann Weber’s Sinuous Sculptures Wash to Shore in Catalina

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Now through December 1st, visitors have one more reason to explore Catalina Island and the beautifully exhibited Catalina Art and History Museum.  Ann Weber’s 26 Miles, a solo exhibition featuring Weber’s always mysterious and magical large-scale cardboard sculptures encourages a rethinking of the island – and the journey from the mainland to it – itself.

The massive sculptural works recall images of nature, transformed into new and shapes and identities through the shifting of time, the sea, and ourselves. They speak to the resilency of nature, the way in which it impacts human creativity, and also to the transformative vibes of island life itself.

Have you ever watched bits of broken glass shift into the soft, colorful translucence into the sea glass we treasure when washed to shore? That softening and perfection is a facet of all Weber’s work, which repurposes the crude rough-edged material of cardboard into something graceful. Pieces here resemble stones and shells and sea creatures, every memory of the ocean and every small bit of beauty we find along her shoreline.

Her art recycles, and reimagines surfaces and shapes – not unlike the rhythm of the sea on a jagged shoreline. On Catalina Island, these works have found a perfect home, speaking to the joys and vicissitudes of nature, manmade worlds, and the longing for paradise.

Additionally on view through September 8th: Philadelphia-based illustrator and designer Sarah Kaizar’s delicious original gouache and ink artwork from the book RARE AIR: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies, and Bees. The two exhibitions create a lovely pairing along with permanent displays depicting island history.

Catalina Museum for Art and History is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with extended hours until 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, June – Labor Day weekend. Closed Mondays: September (after Labor Day) through May; open 7 Days: June – Labor Day.

  • Genie Davis, photos provided by the artist and museum

 

The Park to Playa Trail: Stellar Views, Art, and a Perfect Place to Get Fit

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Los Angeles is awash in arts and culture, fine dining, and sunny skies – the latter makes it all the better to enjoy some time outdoors. And the wide range of spots to experience nature close to home may surprise you no matter how long you’ve lived in SoCal.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

One of the best ways to experience the outdoors is along the Park to Playa Trail. This 13-mile regional trail connects a vast network of trails, parks, and open spaces for hiking, biking, dog walking – you name it. While some of sections of the trail have been around for decades, the entire trail wasn’t completed until 2020. It now makes an ideal destination for iconic views along with great exercise.

Credit: Genie Davis

The Park to Playa Trail stretches from city to ocean. It starts with the Stocker Corridor, where you can make your way through greenspace and neighborhoods before entering the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area,  a 400-acre park known for its stunning city views of LA.

After you cross the La Cienega Pedestrian Bridge, spend a peaceful moment at at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. Next up: Culver City Park, rife with native plants and wildlife and a set of steep railroad tie stairs that take you down to ground level and back should you want to indulge in some particularly vigorous exercise. Staying on the trail, the Ballona Creek Bike Path is your next stop; from there, you can head straight to Playa del Rey to take in those Pacific blue waves and welcoming ocean breeze.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Kim Abeles Citizen Seeds, photo credit Ken Marchiono

On the way, you can enjoy sculptural art along with those views. Kim Abeles created seven beautiful, immersive sculptures on the Park to Playa Trail route. Her ecologically rich artworks first appear along the Stocker Corridor and Kenneth Hahn Park starting from the east, with the final piece located near the Stoneview Overlook to the west. The sculptures celebrate the flora of the trail, representing the seed pods of trees located along it. Created from concrete, terrazo, and metal, the lovely, highly tactile works reveal maps of locations, viewpoints and activities on the trail revealed in the interior of the pods.

Photo credit: Genie Davis

Besides the sweeping views of city skyline and sea and the delightfully textural sculptures by Abeles, the Park to Playa Trail offers numerous opportunities for hiking, cycling, running and just exploring. The trail provides the perfect urban fitness journey, too, with the long but pleasure-filled path a terrific starting point to lose weight naturally.  After all, movement is a big part of wellness and weight loss, and even by walking just a mile or so,  the trail is a pretty wonderful way to benefit your health.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Of course, the health benefits of walking the trail are more than physical. Despite its easily accessible proximity to the city, the trail provides plenty of areas to escape the tumult of urban life and just relax. Both exercise and time spent in nature can improve overall well-being, and combining the two can definitely increase the advantages.  Brain function is boosted by physical activities outdoors, as well as by the spiritual health boost of nature.

All in all, the Park to Playa Trail is an excellent trail for anyone who loves the outdoors, is looking out for their health, or simply seeking a little respite from urban life.  And best of all, you don’t even have to leave town to find it. That said, if you’re looking for a quick escape with a mountain vibe, Big Bear Lake is just two hours away.