Art21: Borderlands

Rafael Salazar Moreno, Ava Wiland | Documentary

2020 | 60 minutes | United States

Five acclaimed artists create ambitious public artworks, photographs, sculptures and performances during one of the most divisive moments in the history of the U.S. and Mexico border.

Sociology Visual Arts Culture + Identity Migration Studies International Relations Latinx
Synopsis

A vast geography encompassing open deserts and densely populated metropolises, the borderland between the United States and Mexico has long been a site of not only political conflict and social struggle but also intense creative ferment. Taking a new curatorial and filmmaking approach, Art21: Art in the Twenty First Century connects and juxtaposes a group of acclaimed artists as they work along the U.S.-Mexico border, interweaving their stories to chronicle the creative responses to one of most divisive moments in the history of this area. From an epic interactive searchlight installation along the El Paso–Juárez divide to a deeply personal performance at the Tijuana border wall, these artists consider the border as an open wound, a theatrical stage, a political podium, a studio, and a contradictory landscape that features both ugliness and beauty. This episode explores how contemporary art can reveal the new and unexpected, asking viewers to question their preconceived notions of a place seemingly made familiar by mass media. Ultimately, the artists featured in this film, Tanya Aguiñiga, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Richard Misrach, and the Postcommodity collective, challenge themselves and audiences to embrace a more empathetic view of one of the most contested areas in North America.

Citation
Main credits

Wiland, Ava (film director)
Wiland, Ava (film producer)
Salazar Moreno, Rafael (film director)
Lozano-Hemmer, Rafael (on-screen participant)
Misrach, Richard (on-screen participant)
Aguiñiga, Tanya (on-screen participant)
Moore, Okema T. (narrator)

Other credits

Cinematography, Rafael Salazar Moreno; editor, Rafael Salazar Moreno, Russell Yafe; music, Joel Pickard.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
PBS,Art,Culture,Travel,Mexico,Politics,latinx,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ,migration studies,migrant studies,immigration studies,refugee studies,diaspora studies,resettlement studies,settlement studies,migration,migrant,immigration,refugee,diaspora,resettlement,settlement,refugees,international migration,continental migration,resettling,settlers,settler,migrant,migrant studies,first generation immigrant,first generation immigration,new americans,new spaniards,international relations,global relations,global studies,international studies,international affairs,intercontinental relations,intercontinental studies,foreign studies,foreign relations,national relations,national studies,cross-continental studies,cross-continental relations,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,visual arts,painting,drawing,printmaking,filmmaking,craft,crafts,architecture,ceramics,photography,video,videomaking,film,conceptual art,installation art,art exhibits,artmaking,photos,videography,sculpting,sculpture,theatre,theater,music,musicmaking,music performance,art styles,art history,plastic arts,fine art,fine arts,visual arts centers,visual arts education,jewelry,jewelrymaking,beaux arts,graphic arts,graphic design,abstract art,art galleries,art gallerist,galleries,gallery,gallerist,gallerists,illustration,latinx,latin american,latino,latina,latin american people,hispanic,hispanic people,hispanic people,chicano,chicana,latine,latinx heritage,afro-latinx; "Art21: Borderlands"; Pragda Films
Clips
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DIRECTOR: Rafael Salazar Moreno, Ava Wiland

NATIONALITY: United States

YEAR: 2020

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: English

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Upper Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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