Danger!

THE COLLABORATIVE: A PROJECT OF THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH AND THE MUSEUM OF LATIN AMERICAN ART
Danger! April 28 – July 20, 2012

Co-curated by Idurre Alonso and Selene Preciado, this exhibition will present works of art that explore the idea of danger, showcasing the work of three artists including Marcela Armas, Mely Barragán, Miguel Fernández, and Daniel Ruanova. challenges the viewer to analyze his/her own notions of perception and caution before objects that appear dangerous or hazardous. The works in this exhibition include installations by the four Mexican artists; One of my spiked balls, 2012, by Daniel Ruanova (Tijuana, b. 1976), continues his investigation on notions of violence, fear and safety by creating a mechanic plastic spiked ball that moves slowly as a pendulum, resembling a rubber toy for children as well as a torture device. Marcela Armas (Durango, b. 1976), winner of the 2012 electronic arts award at Arco, Madrid, presents Resistencia, 2009, an installation consisting of a set of steel cords and sensors that create a heating resistance at the center of the piece, which represents the border and the socio-political tension between Mexico and the United States. For this exhibition, Miguel Fernández (Hermosillo, b. 1986) is producing an installation of broken glass particles on top of a table with benches, inviting the viewers to sit on the table and observe the material, which even though does not represent an imminent danger, the semiotic meaning of the image of broken glass indicates us of the risk involved if we touch the material. Mely Barragán (Tijuana, b. 1975) presents an installation of handbags in the shape of kitchen knives and Shallow Water, 2011, a sculpture made with black acrylic and latex that not only refers to the danger of the ocean as a force of nature and the vulnerability of its ecosystem due to human intervention, but also the material that Barragán utilizes has some connotations of perversity and sexuality. The works in this exhibition question how we relate to materials and shapes of objects, and how danger is a concept that involves curiosity and caution simultaneously, as our brain activates signals that alert us to avoid by “not touching” or not coming “too close” to something as survival instinct, but if we do, is not only an act of defiance but of power. Miguel Fernández lives and works in Tijuana, Daniel Ruanova and Mely Barragán currently live and work in China, and Marcela Armas lives in Mexico City.