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Disponible - a kind of Mexican show, phase 2Post an Event »

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Walter and McBean Galleries, SFAI

February 9 - March 27, 2011

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800 Chestnut Street San Francisco, CA 94133
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Disponible - a kind of Mexican show, phase 2 "El General” (2009), Natalia Almada
The San Francisco Art Institute presents Phase 2 of "Disponible–a kind of Mexican show," a group exhibition of seven contemporary artists working in film, video, sound, installation, and performance. An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, February 9 from 5:30-7:30 pm. This exhibition takes its name from the empty billboards reading “disponible” (+ phone numbers) that are seen across the skylines of Mexican cities. Meaning at once available and potentially changeable or disposable, the word disponible reflects the dynamic, contradictory reality of Mexican society in transition from post-colonial revolution to globalization. The exhibit also coincides with the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence and the centennial of the republican revolution. Phase 1 of "Disponible—a kind of Mexican show" opened in November 2010. To that existing work, Phase 2 adds: • A site-specific work by Teresa Margolles. Margolles, one of Mexico’s preeminent contemporary artists, has invited keymaker Antonio Hernandez Cumacho from Ciudad Juárez to come interact with the San Francisco public, sharing stories about owning a small business in a border city riddled with drugs and violence. -Lecture: Teresa Margolles in conversation with critic Cuauhtémoc Medina, February 9, 7:30 pm. Lecture Hall. • Natalia Almada’s film "El General." Almada is the great-granddaughter of Mexican president Plutarco Elias Calles (1924-1928), one of Mexico’s most controversial revolutionary figures. This portrait of a family and a country under the shadow of the past earned Almada the Documentary Directing Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. -Screening: February 23, 7:30 pm. Lecture Hall. • Arturo Hernández Alcázar’s "Never Work (transformation of knowledge into work, work into energy and energy into a hot soup)." This sound installation documents the recycling of electronic junk by Mexican workers. Video and installation works by Edgardo Aragón, Manuel Rocha Iturbide, Mauricio Limon, and Hector Zamora remain on view from Phase 1.