Relative distance |
Contemporary art exposition at the temporary pavilion | entijuanarte 09

Marcela Quiroz | Curador
Gabriel Martínez | Architect.

In its fifth edition, entijuanarte has commissioned a specific curatorship of contemporary art with a selection of artists that live or were born in Baja California. This year, that entijuanarte pays tribute to its venue state, expands its action ratio with an architectonic temporal pavilion’s commission to house the art’s sample: relative distance curated by Marcela Quiroz.

The pavilion, designed by the architect Gabriel Martinez will be structurally supported by a scaffolding system that will support the exhibition body. This first core will be covered  by a translucent skin made with aluminum residues and resin internally illuminated; in a way that the pavilion will be shown as 160m2 a box light, lightly elevated over the Tijuana Cultural Center’s leveled area, using ramps to link the expositive interior with the transit space and the exterior exposition.

The curatorial proposal that guides the exposition starts from an astronomic measure that gives the name to the sample: Relative Distance. The Relative Distance is a measurement used to calculate distances between planets and stars using multiples of distances between the earth and the sun. The human being point of view’s relativity that originates this distance and luminous interplanetary and stellar emission it’s reflection the seed that extends the sample. By locating that invisible reticular game of astronomic-celestial measurements at a specific territory – Tijuana- relative distance wants to place and relate some of the distance relativity dimensions- emotional, physical, spatial and temporary-  that lay in a border town, that as an against-limit existence, its always situated and only visible in relation. 

The pieces that Relative distance is going to collect will come from a selection of 12 artists, beginners and experimented, that are currently working in Baja California. The chosen pieces will go from – between intuition and conscience- the aesthetics and conceptual aspects that come from a sight that is assumed from the relative distance.

Bringing about that the relations over the pieces activate from the spectator’s body a space, always bigger to the minimal optical distance that allow us to tell the difference between a body and another; in a way that the different artist’ pieces get visible among themselves.

In continuity with the research’s line that articulates the relative distance sample, the pavilion’s architectonic proposal retakes the stars formation principle: the condensation of small particles fragmented from dark globules sent out among hot and shiny gases. Theory that supports the group birth of stars as result of these interstellar material globules. In that way, the skin of the panels that will be wrapping the pavilion will get potted thousands of luminous particles –aluminum dust- capable of keep together by their own gravitation and shrink to make individuals stellar existences.

The relative distance expo will attempt to make of the creator body’s sight and position experience, created and in creation an acknowledgement of its needs and possibilities to the contemporary existence state as permanent condition of relative separation and apparent/ seeming closeness. To think about that relative distance(s) that situate us between the individual being and its social formation, between territories and its borders; image and its representation, between its position its implications and scopes.

Biographical information

Marcela Quiroz (1974, Mexico City) is an Art historian with a Masters degree in Art Studies, researcher, critic and independent curator. In 2007, she published her book “The illusion of being photographer. Toward a pinhole photography phenomenology based on Carlos Jurado works”. Marcelawrites periodically for several publications: ArtNexus, Curare and Fahrenheit. Among her curatorships stands out her sample “Vertigos and Deliriums” at the Spain Cultural Center in Mexico in 2005. She is currently studird at 17, Instituto de Estudios Criticos, where she is earning her Criticism Theory’s PhD. Lives and works in Tijuana, BC since 2004. ( no entendi q onda con el 17, si es parte del nombre del Instituto de Estudios Criticos o del nombre de su Phd)

Gabriel Martinez (1978, Mexico City) Architect, graduated of Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco. Has collaborated with the Vitra Design Museum’s design workshops with architects and designers such as Shigeru Ban (Japan), Simon Velez (Colombia), Ingo Maurer (Germany), Matheo Thum (Italy), etc. Currently living in Tijuana, B.C. where he develops works and projects as co-director of the Martinez + Santini studio.

October 2nd – 4th   | Centro Cultural Tijuana
October 5th – 8th | Alternative venues.