Tania Candiani Battleground Analysis

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Joe Melendez Extacurricular Activity Exhibit: Battleground Artists: Tania Candiani and Regina Jose Galindo Location: Rubin Art Gallery Artist Tania Candiani is from Tijuana Mexico. She is an artist known for her work depicting struggle against violence. She is familiar with since she grew up in Tijuana a very violent border city. She actually came down to UTEP to work on this Battleground exhibit.First she gathered students from UTEP and also from Universidad Autonoma De Ciudad Juarez to help her in the exhibit.Students from both universities, along with family and friends that they invited to join them, used objects from their daily life to create weapons to defend themselves from the violence that surrounds them. The weapons were not…show more content…
By having the UTEP and UACJ students face each other the point is made that this region is divided very clearly along the Rio Grande. It seems that most El PAso residents really dont seem to care about the events in Cd. Juarez as long as that violence and crime does not spill over to this city. In fact most citzens see the people of Cd. Juarez as a dangerous threat. The attitude shifts from fear and hate to outright indifference. In the presentation the El Paso side never offers to help the Cd. Juarez representatives. They only assume defensive positions to protect themselves in cas eany attack is brought upon them. The students of UACJ also act in a defensice position, but the feeling that is communicated is that they are trying to defend themselves from sevral sides. One can interpret this as the Cd. Juarez people having to deal with a battle raging on between drug cartels, police and military , with a possible U.S. intervention. The attiude felt from these participants is one of carfully trying to protect themselves from every possible attack that they know can come from anywhere. Her presentation was a very creative way to present many of the attiudes and issues affecting our…show more content…
She is well knownfor her political artwork using her body in dramatic ways. She once walked to the National Congress in Guatemala barefoot, carrying a basin with human blood. Every so often she would dip her feet in the basin to leave bloody footprints. She did this to protest the violence in Guatemala. The exhibits however, show some other works of her. One is entitled "Hasta Ver". She blindfolds herself and sets off in a five day journey to Peru. The camera catches several acts of violence and injustice, however she is oblivous to it since she is blindfolded. The purpose for this seems to be to protest how many government officials and even citizens turn a blind eye to the injustices going on right in front of them. This certainly applies here in our border since many here in El Paso seem to act indiferent to the vilonce and injustice happening right next door in Cd. Juarez. Another exhibits is called "Confession". it consists of Galindo being torutred by the means of the waterboarding technique. The video is very brutal aand raw. There is no sound but then again none is needed to convey the fear and pain. These two works in which the artist immerses body and soul are very powerful means to communicate across the growing injustice and violence going on around us. It is a strong appeal to each one who observes
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