A look into the “Borders” series by Jesús María, written by Josue Ramirez (staff writer for Netargv.com)
Jesús María is a 23 year old visual artist and activist from Reynosa Tamaulipas, Mexico. He lives in McAllen, Texas where he studies and practices graphic design. Jesús María believes art is a medium through which he can bring awareness to his community and was drawn to apply for the Neta call for Resistance Art. His mix-media proposal was one of the ideas selected and developed with the assistance of Las Imaginistas and Neta. The artist shares the final work and describes his thoughts on why shifting perspectives of borders is an important act of resistance and defiance.
Jesús María’s initial idea was to create two bright red neon installations of geographic figures related to the border that he would then photograph. The proposal particularly focused on the shapes of the US/Mexico border and of region of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). The figures, a single crooked line and an empty trapezoid are abstract at plain sight even though the carry a deep and specific connotations. Jesús María chose the color red as a symbol of freedom and liberation but the color also serves as warning and an allusion to pain, blood, and violence. Through the vagueness and simplicity of the work the viewer might beg the questions, “What are these shapes?” or “What do they mean?” In his own words Jesús María mentions that, “maps are shaped by political powers but by taking the US/Mexico border and the Rio Grande Valley out of the map and by placing them into a different context the viewer is allowed to create their own version of power, free from our current understanding of geopolitical legitimacy.”
The artist finds inspiration in the shift and reversal of power. He describes being influenced by work of Ai Weiwei, a Chinese activist and artist particularly because “of the unconventional mediums he uses to discuss current global political crisis.” Throughout his life Ai has been a victim of political repression. From his family’s exile from Communist China during his childhood to his imprisonment and detainment by the Chinese government in 2011 as a response to his work and activism critiquing the 2008 Olympics, government censorship and their failed response after the Sichuan Earthquake. Ai has drawn power and strength from traumatic experiences and in an interview last year he mentions that, “It is the duty of an artist to connect himself or herself to social change, to bear responsibility to be a part of the change.”[1] It is encouraging to see Jesús María take this mindset to heart and to use his work to critique the social issues of the border as they truly are.
As part of the feedback process the judges raised the idea of tying the abstract to actuality. They discussed potential downfalls of presenting and considering borders as a completely conceptual when their consequences are very real. In the Rio Grande Valley it is resulting in the militarization of the border, the continued construction of a border wall and the bottlenecking and detainment of asylum seekers at the port of entry. Through conversation the artist was challenged to consider incorporating the neon installations in specific locations along the border. The idea was that situational context might help demystify the shapes and in a way personify them.
Jesús María ultimately decided in placing the sculptures in two areas of downtown Brownsville. The first location was at the corner of Adams and Levee Street, only a few feet from the Texas Mexico border wall and blocks from the international crossing. Pedestrians bustled through the streets as the sun set and the glow of the red neon shined, reminiscent of a pulsing wound, una herida abierta.
At certain angles one was able to capture the radiance of the neon frontera with the border wall visible in the back, a physical reminder of the conceptual.
The selected picture captures a shopper dragging along a cart of merchandise next to the border, looking forward and moving through the image in a steadfast pace. It presents a counter narrative to the mainstream representations of the border as a place limited to the crossing of people and of the “overwhelming scarcity of the nation.” The photo captures commerce, movement and individual agency all of which take place between the actuality of the US Mexico border and an abstract representation.
The second photograph titled RGV features neon in the shape of the Valley, which includes the counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy. It was staged in front the La Plaza at the Brownsville Bus Terminal where local commuters wait for public transit. Jesús María pointed out that the location is also the drop off point for many asylum seekers and individuals released from local detention centers that are left to continue their passage with only the assistance of local charities and volunteers. At first glance the figure seems out of place, as if it is a lost piece of a puzzle. For those familiar with the RGV the shape is obvious. Viewers who are not might also associate the jagged shape with the geopolitical, even as the work was being set up a passerby asked what state or country it was. These are the type of questions that Jesús María would like viewers to consider and to engage in critically.
When asked about the collaboration on the project Jesús María states, “The process helped strengthen my ideas and understanding of collaborative spaces that are valuable in the bettering of our local community. It also felt affirming to have such a positive feedback and supportive team.” Jesús María’s installation and photographs, as well as the previous Resistance Art projects are examples of how mainstream border narratives can be disrupted and questioned through visual art. They show that there is a long and nuanced history of resistance in the RGV that manifests through our everyday lived experiences and subconscious.
I would like to deeply thank Big Dog Neon for their neon expertise and Jose Salazar & company for the installation process. Without them this project would not have been possible.