A group of self-described “outsiders” have brought their unique perspectives on a Mexican border town to San Luis Obispo. The new art exhibit at Cuesta College features nine artists who tell their stories of living in Tijuana through a variety of media.
The exhibit is called “The Outsiders From The Other Side,” the other side in this case being Tijuana, a sprawling city of nearly two-million people just across the border from San Diego.
As you enter the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery at Cuesta, the first thing that commands your attention is a mural that spans an entire wall. Spray-painted across the top of the wall are yellow block letters that say “Outsider.”
All of the artists have their own take on what that word means to them.
“I don't feel Mexican enough or American enough. I'm from Tijuana, and Tijuana is its own universe. Even in Tijuana, I feel like an outsider because of how the city is developing so fast, and it's like a little monster,” said Dada, a graffiti and stencil artist who created the mural.
His piece is called “Danzante,” meaning “Dancer.” In the foreground of the image is a man in a red mask and head scarf with a deer on his head. His silhouette stands in front of a menacing fence topped with barbed wire.
Dada said his art uses graffiti and textures from street art to express Tijuana’s diversity. The walls surrounding the mural are filled with framed photos with raunchy colorful collages from what the artists describe as “Tijuanan” culture.
This sense of being an outsider– both at home and in the U.S.– is what fuels all the work in the exhibit. However, the individual experiences of each artist are quite different, and so there are many perspectives on display.
These perspectives are reflected through a wide variety of materials and styles that make up the pieces in the show. In the center of the room are sculptures, some dark and industrial, with hard edges made of wood and metal. Others are bright pink and colorful, combining soft fabrics, clothes and materials.
Each of these materials represents all the different elements of Tijuana. The artists discussed how these materials represent the chaos and beauty of Tijuana in a panel at the exhibit's opening night.
At the panel, Acomonchi, a street visual artist, said the art scene was a beacon of hope during a dark time in Tijuana, which was plagued by violence from drugs and gangs.
“They were in a hole because there was so much violence in the city. It was a very chaotic time. The people that were creatives had a response to those times and doing their thing, doing shows, doing music. The scene came back to life in a really, really difficult time,” Acomonchi said.
But the artists featured in this show managed to find inspiration amid the violence and fear and bring it to the Central Coast.
“Far from the crime and the gang violence and everything that has been going on through the drugs, Cartels and all that stuff– yeah, Tijuana is that, but it's also a vibrant place where there's a lot of things happening,” Acomonchi said.
Another artist in the show is Alejandro Zacarias, or Zaca. He created metal sculptures that stand in the center of the exhibit. Speaking through a translator, he said he lives on the outskirts of Tijuana and finds his material from items that many in the US would consider trash.
“It’s a mix of materials. Just like how the city is a mix of materials, that's kind of shown in my work as well with all the mix of materials that I use,” Zaca said.
Zaca, who has been making art for 40 years, said he’s grateful to Cuesta for bringing these outsider perspectives to the Central Coast.
The exhibit will be on display at the Miossi Gallery through Oct. 11.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County.
