“Resistance,” originally conceived in 2009, is an installation that visually outlines the Mexico/U.S. border with an incandescent metal filament held together by steel cables. Armas draws attention to the contour of the border and the many routes that connect the bicultural sister communities that dot both sides of the borderline.
These lines track significant trade routes which all stem from the border; these routes are the guarded, sometimes embattled economic lifelines shared by neighbors in both countries. In this exhibition, Armas consciously positions the viewer at eye-level with a representation of the border’s electric charge. “Resistance” is a work that uses metaphor to invite a discussion of the economic and political crisis of modern-day Mexico while representing the frontier as a dangerous boundary.
“Vortex” delves into a critique of power relations within Mexico’s public education system. Armas presents documentary video as well as printed materials and artifacts that show the industrial production of an elementary-school textbook published by SEP (SecretarÃa de Educación Pública), Mexico’s bureau of public education. One video traces the origin of the recycled paper used to print the book, finding that over 15 percent of recycled material is produced by Mexico’s own government. In the second video, Armas transforms the books into gears, creating a metaphor of the Mexican educational system. By identifying the convergence of knowledge and power, Armas points to the politically charged context of the Mexican education industry.
Resistance and Vortex/Resistencia y Vórtice will be on view until Jan. 4, 2015.
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