Art and activism at the MCASD

Emma Heflin | Contributor | The USD Vista

Cesar A. Cruz, a Mexican-American activist, once said, “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.” Art and activism often go hand in hand. While the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego doesn’t have a Banksy or a naked statue of Donald Trump, this is especially true of their latest exhibit — Border Performances: Art and Action in the Public Domain.

First-year Stephanie Maeda described her perspective on the latest exhibit during her visit to the museum.

“The exhibit was a great way to capture emotion and express it to others,” Maeda said. “The mixed mediums of art represent a diverse background of individuals. It reflects a huge amount of mindset differences.”

The exhibit showcases several props and art pieces used in public demonstrations last December against President Trump’s border policies. These publi demonstrations, held in both Tijuana and Balboa Park, confronted the public with questions about border policy.

The art, inspired by today’s problematic U.S.-Mexico relations, is a striking visual representation of the reality of America’s border politics. The museum, located downtown at 1100 Kettner Blvd., is dedicated to presenting art from 1950 to the present day, educating the public on contemporary art, and providing resources and space for artists.

Created by students from both Mexico and San Diego, the exhibit is a collaborative work by the team known as Collective Magpie. Their exhibit contains prototypes of the border wall, visual representations of what it means to experience privilege, and a sculpture of a border patrol officer. Border Performances makes the relationship between art and activism very specific to the San Diego community. It also embodies the Museum of Contemporary Art’s mission to form a binational community within the San Diego/Tijuana area.

The artists and Collective Magpie have a goal of uniting people from all walks of life through diverse forms of visual art. Past projects have addressed issues such as immigration and environmentalism, and their activist art has led to several collaborative works between universities in both San Diego and Tijuana.

Collective Magpie allowed students to decide how they would like to address the border through art, and the resulting exhibit is a product of trans-national collaboration.

The art exhibit portrays the story of modern border relations. Representations of border wall prototypes funded by the U.S. government are on display, making a political stance seem like a reality. Viewing the various and colorful prototypes inspires viewers to consider the consequences of such a project.

Another portion of the exhibit stares at the observer with a great unblinking eye — it is a border patrol agent whose head is a large paper-mache eyeball. In front of the agent, a Mexican passport is opened. It seems to say the eye of the state is always watching, much like the “Big Brother” figure from Orwell’s famous dystopia.

On an opposite wall, speech bubbles drawn in stark white and black define the concept of privilege, asking observers if they have taken a family vacation in the last year, if they speak English, and if the border is simply a tourist attraction.

Collectively, the art is a provocative example of activism in regard to an issue relevant to the area. These visuals bring to mind important problems that the San Diego community faces today. The activist focus of the exhibit encourages visitors to consider their privileges which are often taken for granted, such as easy movement across borders and fluency in the English language. Maeda commented on the issue regarding the border.

“Some people have the privilege to cross the border whenever they choose, and others are constantly scrutinized,” Maeda said.

The exhibit makes these contentions manifest in physical form, encouraging viewers to consider what the United States is attempting to accomplish with a border wall. The exhibit is an example of unity within the San Diego/Tijuana community, in a sense counteracting the divisive politics during this time.

Border Performances is on view to the public until March 5, and the entire museum is free to visitors under 25, making it an ideal afternoon stop on a trip downtown.