X-TRA Fall Launch
Some Among Others: Mexican Sound and Video Art
Organized by Nick Herman
Presented on October 24, 2019 at Now Instant
This program consists of work by artists and writers who were included in two curated exhibitions in and near Mexico City in 2018–19. Modos de oír: prácticas de arte y sonido en México (Ways to Hear: Art and Sound Practices in Mexico) and Constelaciones de la Audio-máquina en México: Ruinas y reconstrucciones de una historia sónica (Constellations of the Audio-Machine in Mexico: Ruins and Reconstructions of a Sonic Story). These exhibitions are the subject of Nick Herman’s review, “Among Others” in the fall issue of X-TRA.
LIST OF WORKS IN PROGRAM, with links
1— María Sabina
Chjon Nka (I am), 1956
Running time, 2:53 min.
Smithsonian Folkways Records
María Sabina (1894–1985) was a Mazatec curandera or traditional healer who lived in the Sierra Mazateca of southern Mexico. Her practice was based on the use of psilocybin mushrooms. These sacred healing songs were recorded in 1955 by the ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson. Sabina became (in)famous for introducing mushrooms to western culture and her profound influence on Mexico’s avant-garde is palpable to this day. See: Homero Aridjis, Carne de Dios (2013).
2— Luis Quintanilla (alias Kyn Taniya)
IU IIIUUU IU, 1924
Running time, 1:50 min.
The Mexican poet Kyn Taniya (alias Luis Quintanilla, 1900–1980) was born and grew up in Paris, where his father worked as a diplomat. He visited Mexico for the first time in 1918, and entered the foreign service in 1921, eventually serving as Mexico’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union. IU IIIUUU IU was published as one of thirteen “Radio” poems in Mexico in 1924. It is considered a classic of the estridentista movement. This is a contemporary recording produced by Laboratorio de Arte Alameda in 2004. See: Kyn Taniya, Radio: Wireless Poem in Thirteen Messages & Uncollected Poems (1924).
3— Nicolás Echevarría
Judea Semana Santa entre los Coras (Judea: Holy Week among the Cora), 1973
Running time, 21:11 min.
Nicolás Echevarría (Born Nayarit, Mexico, 1947) is a celebrated writer, director and cinematographer, known for films including Eco de la montaña (2014) and Cabeza de Vaca (1990). Judea was his first work but is consistent with ongoing motifs including indigenous identity and the legacy of colonialism in Latin America. He was awarded the National Award of Sciences and Arts of Mexico in the category of Fine Arts in 2017. See: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248420/
4— Manrico Montero
Ortópteros de México (Orthoptera of Mexico), 2017
Running time, 2:46 min.
Manrico Montero (1973-2018) was a sound artist, researcher in bioacoustics and biosemiotics, and seen as “one of the most influential voices of sound art and experimental music in Mexico and Latin America in the past two decades.”
See: soundfield.org/manrico-montero
5— Manuel Rocha Iturbide
I Play Drums with Frequency, 2007*
Running time, 4:05 min., excerpt from performance documentation.
Born 1963 in Mexico City, Manuel Rocha Iturbide is a composer and sound artist who is acknowledged as one of the pioneers of sound art in Mexico. His work has been shown widely and internationally, and he has curated important exhibitions within Mexico including Readymedia and Modos de oír.
See: artesonoro.net
6— Rocío Cerón & Alejandra Hernández
Sublingual, 2005
Running time, 3:52 min.
Rocío Cerón (Mexico City) combines poetry with music, performance and video. She has written several volumes of poetry including Imperio/Empire (2008) and Diorama (2012). Alejandra Hernández is a composer and sound artist living in Mexico City, she performs regularly at festivals and has a diverse catalog of recorded music. See: rocioceron.com, alejandrahernandez.net
7— Guillermo Galindo
Limpia (Cleansing), 2016*
Running time, 3:14 min., excerpt from performance documentation, part of his series Border Cantos.
Guillermo Galindo (Mexico City, 1960) is a multidisciplinary composer and artist. He often creates graphic scores and hand built instruments as well as choreographing large site-specific performances. In 2012 he began making instruments from discarded objects found on the US/ Mexico border in a collaboration with photographer Richard Misrach. Titled Border Cantos, the project pairs documentary photographs with Galindo’s sound sculptures and installations. His work has been included in many major exhibitions including Documenta 14.
See: bordercantos.com
8— Tania Candiani
Pulso (Pulse), 2016*
Running time, 11:22 min.
Tania Candiani (Mexico City, 1974) multimedia work uses research, sculpture and video to frame her interest in the “complex intersection between languages systems phonic, graphics, linguistic, symbolic and technological.” She often makes works based on specific sites. See: taniacandiani.com
*These works were not included in the original curated exhibitions, and were chosen by Nick Herman in consultation with the artists.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The curators for Modos de oír: prácticas de arte y sonido en México were Susana González Aktories, Cinthya García Leyva, Rossana Lara, Bárbara Perea, Manuel Rocha Iturbide, Carlos Prieto Acevedo, Tito Rivas, and Tania Aedo.
The curator for Ruinas y reconstrucciones de una historia sónica was Carlos Prieto Acevedo.
Special thanks to all the artists who gave permission to show their work and Mirna Castro González at Ex Teresa Arte Actual, Mexico City, for her assistance in putting this program together.
Huge thanks to the guys at NOW INSTANT for their enthusiasm and generosity!!
X-TRA is published by the nonprofit Project X Foundation for Art & Criticism, which is generously supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Michael Asher Foundation, VIA Art Fund, Pasadena Art Alliance, California Arts Council, The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts and Culture Department, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, GrantLOVE, Center for Cultural Innovation and our individual patrons and subscribers.