| return to news archive |

STRANGE NEW WORLD: ART & DESIGN FROM TIJUANA
EXTRAÑO NUEVO MUNDO: ARTE Y DISEÑO DESDE TIJUANA
opens at the
Cultural Institute of Mexico, Washington DC
February 16 - April 24, 2006

Strange New World: Art and Design from Tijuana/Extraño Nuevo Mundo: Arte y Diseño Desde Tijuana premiered at the Cultural Institute of Mexico in Washington DC. The exhibition opened on Thursday evening, February 16, to a crowd of over 400 collectors, diplomats and art aficionados at one of the most important artistic and cultural centers established outside of Mexico. In attendance were honored guests: Governor of Baja California, Eugenio Elorduy Walther; Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Carlos de Icaza; Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art-San Diego, Hugh Davies; and Rachel Teagle, curator of the exhibition.

Extraño Nuevo Mundo is the first in-depth survey of Tijuana's dynamic, multidisciplinary artistic scene. The exhibition in Washington DC is an abbreviated version of what will be shown at future venues, and included works by 32 of the 41 artists for the Museum of Contemporary Art-San Diego leg of the national tour. Linea - Escaparates de Tijuana 1-4, a four-panel architectural drawing by Hugo Crosthwaite, purchased by MCASD in 2005, was one of the featured works in the exhibition.

The evening was highlighted with celebratory speeches by the Director of the Cultural Institute, Alejandro Negrín and each of the honored guests. Speakers discussed Tijuana and the Mexican-American border shared by San Diego and Tijuana. Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Carlos de Icaza noted that this shared border, the most traversed international border in the world, has been a peaceful border with little military incident throughout its history. Presenters testified to the uniqueness of the border culture, pointing to the ways in which the industrial city of Tijuana strives toward the future in spite of its physical barriers. There was call for partnership between the United States and Mexico in dealing with migration issues as well as acknowledgment of the important and great cultural links between the neighboring countries.

Mr. de Icaza, spoke highly of the artist's selected to take part in this exhibition, the wide range of artistic styles being a testament to the great quality of work being created in Tijuana, the second largest city on the western coast of the American continent. The Ambassador singled out Hugo Crosthwaite, Tania Candiani and Marco Ramírez as being artists from Baja California who have reached international recognition, each having exhibited in some of the most important galleries and museums in the world.

Extraño Nuevo Mundo showcases a diverse selection of artworks, representative of the different generations of contemporary artists from Tijuana. Works from many mediums including painting, drawing, installation, video and photography are part of the exhibition. For more information on this exhibition, please click here. To view images of the Cultural Institute please click here.

| return to news archive |