UCSD grads showcase art south of the border

By Hector Trujillo

Contributor

In its continued attempt to foster connections and exchanges of ideas between artists from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, the Lui Velazquez Gallery Space held an exhibition of two prominent alternative artists May 9.

Lui Velazquez, which is run by UCSD graduate and former UCSD graduate students, began as an extension of research dealing with relational aesthetics several years ago and now functions as a flexible organization hosting residencies, collaborations and productions.

“We are interested in keeping facilitating and open dialog around the border and contemporary art,” Lui Velazquez Art Project director Katherine Sweetman said.

One of the artists who showcased was UCSD art director and gallery coordinator Trish Stone. Stone, who received her master’s of fine arts degree in 2003, showcased her “Thing I Never Say” exhibition to those attending the event.

“My conceptual new media artworks revolve around a central theme of private verses public culture,” Stone said. “I am particularly interested in how surveillance technology permeates public spaces, how it is used to control the masses, and how it can be turned around on itself.”

This work was completed in 2009 and is a continuation of works completed in 2007 titled “The Charles Spy Project,” which depicts a period in Stone’s life where she created a satirical Web site of investment giant Charles Schwab and placed under scrutiny by its legal department.

“Things I Never Say” documents a series of public performances where Stone communicates those watching webcams operated by San Diego hotels. The other artists showcased at Lui Velazquez were Tijuana artists Aldo Guerra and Azzul Monraz.

“In the past, we have been funded by UCSD … but all out of our pocket at the moment,” Sweetman said.

Other recent showings at Lui Velazquez include those of queer activist, visual artist and filmmaker Lasse Lau on March 24. Lau was co-founder of the Danish artist group Center for Urban Culture, Dialogue and Information (CUDI), which focuses on displacement in the representation of minorities driven by xenophobia in Europe.

Lui Velazquez Gallery Space is in Tijuana’s Colonia Federal, which is in walking distance from the U.S.-Mexico International Border.

For more information on Lui Velazquez, call Sweetman at (619) 838-7666 or go to

www.luivelazquez.com

.