Mark Bradford, William Cordova, Marcos Ramírez ERRE at Artpace
Posted by ben on 22 Jun 2008 at 04:01 pm | Tagged as: upcoming events
The opening reception for Artpace residents Mark Bradford, William Cordova, and Marcos Ramírez ERRE is going down at 6:30 pm on July 7. More information on the artists below:
Marcos Ramírez ERRE – Tijuana, Mexico
Marcos Ramirez, ERRE�s installations explore the role of social history, communication, economics, and militarism in the development of cultural stereotypes and governmental border control. Often staged in both the public domain and the gallery environment, the artist�s approach critiques the social impact of rising global xenophobia. In Toy an Horse, 1998, ERRE positioned a large-scale, wooden horse at the border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico. The design, similar to the epic Trojan Horse, features two heads, one facing the south, Mexico, and the other the north, U.S.A. The sculpture calls to question the aggressive control of the borders commenting on the devastating impact of the ethnic divide.Mark Bradford – Los Angeles, CA
Mark Bradford can be found wandering the south side of Los Angeles collecting flyers from telephone poles, fences, and kiosks. The resulting advertising archive litters his studio, marketing everything from hair products to discount electronics. With these flyers, Bradford creates dense collages, covers them in paint, and then selectively sands away the painted coating; the resulting large-scale paintings reveal an explosive grid of line and color. These works explore the cultural geography of the artist�s home city, commenting on the social history of the merchant class and the effect of shifting demographics in Los Angeles� multi-cultural boroughs. Bradford�s video works are thematically similar; through an exploration of the development of identity the artist�s filmic endeavors deconstruct profiling in the urban landscape.William Cordova – Houston, TX
Known for his nomadic lifestyle, Peruvian-born artist William Cordova activates mixed media installations and intimate drawings to compose a memoir reminiscent of the artists� transitory lifestyle and interaction with urban culture. By combining elements of his South American heritage and childhood in Miami, Florida, Cordova�s drawings depict an intimate portrait of everyday life referencing a wide variety of sources from music to literature. In Badussy (or Machu Picchu after dark) the artist constructs a monolithic sculpture from discarded stereo speakers. At the bottom of this altar, a cache of objects litters the floor; the artist combines record sleeves, a candle, and other images to depict the merging of two cultures: indigenous-Incan and modern-American.
Street Art
Russell’s paradox
someone needs to fire that idiot mathew the d.r.o.i.d for really wasting San Antonio’s time. His focus has been everything but our Artpace dream. With exhibitions as self-indulgent as the sophomoric race car show -Paint it Black and these recent “car” exhibitions one can only assume that the next thing focused at artpace will be a free gas give away. maybe d.r.o.i.d can use some of that free gas he’s full of and take himself out into orbit.
I may add that there are needs for the San Antonio community that have not been met or have lessened since Artpace opened it’s doors in 1995. The late Linda Pace’s vision of creating a non-profit artist residency program “while actively engaging youth and adult audiences’ in the San Antonio community was a great idea but today this same dream is still just that. A detached institution catering to the status quo that runs its education programs as it has since its inception-without critically engaging most of San Antonio’s youth or adults. It has little or no contact with other non-profits that make an effort to reach all audiences.
It is fortunate for us that spaces like Blue Star, SAY SI or San Antonio Cultural Arts and Centro Cultural Aztlan or Gallista Gallery effective reach the working class and provide various programs for young adults. It is however, unfortunate that Artpace excludes these efforts from their programs or audiences. One can only hope these thoughts provoke the present board of trustees at Artpace to be more aggressive in how affective they can be by working with other non-profits in this city rather than excluding the over all community. This was not what Linda Pace wanted and the board of trustees should make the effort to make her dream a reality.
Artpace is good for San Antonio, and their education program is aimed at youth who are interested in partaking in it, not at forcing youth to take part. They have smaller classes with what seems to be a much more lasting effect. I’ve been lucky to be part of them at FL!GHT Gallery in recent months and have been impressed with the outcome. In my opinion, artpace does not need an education program in order to be effect or relevant in this community. We are enhanced by its presence simply through the sheer scope of the artist residency program. The fact that they continue an education program that is accessible to the community is indeed quite lucky, as they hold themselves to a much higher standard than some of the other institutions you mention.
“I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in this cause. The example of great and pure personages is the only thing that can lead us to find ideas and noble deeds. Money only appeals to selfishness and always irresistibly tempts its owner to abuse it. Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus or Gandhi with the moneybags of Carnegie?”
-Albert Einstein
the privilege of a few sometimes speaks louder the screams of the many. Like the presence of a castle and its mote keeping all away to define its value for a few.
It stands really big and pretty but you’ll never see the people who define San Antonio in this space unless you get off your high chair and change those attitudes of a few.
-sand
It stands really big and pretty but you’ll never see the people who define San Antonio in this space unless you get off your high chair and change those attitudes of a few.
I just don’t see it. Artpace has a strong education program, and from what I can tell it serves the “people who define San Antonio” just as much as the education programs at Blue Star. I’ve seen groups of high school kids from Fox Tech duck into Artpace after school.
As far as collaboration, I think a lot of these institutions are doing interesting things to build connections. Artpace collaborates with smaller galleries to exhibit the work of students, conducts tours of other galleries in the community, etc. Blue Star has its exhibits at the Botanical Center and Semmes Library.
Just because you see a more diverse audience at First Friday than you do at a typical Artpace opening doesn’t mean Artpace is an isolated, elitist organization.
institutionalized discriminate is visible when you don’t see a mixture of communities represented in a place like Guggenheim, MOMA, Artpace or MFAH.
Sand