Southern Exposure. Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall, Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik (Sep 9-Oct 15, 2016)
Southern Exposure presents Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall, an exhibition by Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik in collaboration with Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez, Little Piñata Maker, Cece Carpio (Trust Your Struggle), Iván Padilla Mónico, La Pelanga, People’s Kitchen Collective, and Norma Listman.
In this intensely divisive election season, Bhaumik and curator Michele Carlson produce a potent and nuanced response to our current social, political, and economic realities. A wall built of hand-crafted piñatas in the form of cinder blocks will dominate and divide the Southern Exposure gallery. Over the course of the exhibition, the wall will undergo a dramatic transformation that enacts the dynamic transactional nature of border sites. The opening reception on September 9 marks the completion of the wall’s construction with a Migration Mixtape by La Pelanga DJ collective, street food, and limited edition mini-piñatas by the Little Piñata Maker. Several days later, under cover of night, Cece Carpio of the collective Trust Your Struggle will intervene to tag and deface the wall. On September 22, the wall will serve as the literal backdrop for a public dialogue with artists and organizers working around the subject of migration. Finally, at the closing reception on October 15, we will all come together to pummel the piñatas – celebrating the destruction of the wall with a blow-by-blow narration by People’s Kitchen Collective, music by La Pelanga, and food to fuel our border crossings.
The opening reception on September 9 marks the completion of the wall’s construction with a Migration Mixtape by La Pelanga DJ collective, street food, and limited edition mini-piñatas by the Little Piñata Maker. Several days later, under cover of night, Cece Carpio of the collective Trust Your Struggle will intervene to tag and deface the wall. On September 22, the wall will serve as the literal backdrop for a public dialogue with artists and organizers working around the subject of migration. Finally, at the closing reception on October 15, we will all come together to pummel the piñatas – celebrating the destruction of the wall with a blow-by-blow narration by People’s Kitchen Collective, music by La Pelanga, and food to fuel our border crossings.
Exhibition Publications
Press coverage:
APEX Express, KPFA Sierra Lee of KPFA's APEX Express talks with Sita Bhaumik about her exhibition "Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall." Thursday, September 01, 2016
KQED Arts Sarah Hotchkiss visits Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik in her home studio to discuss her current exhibition at Southern Exposure. Tuesday, September 06, 2016
East Bay Express Sarah Burke of the East Bay Express visits Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez with Sita Bhaumik to discuss her collaboration with the piñateria for her exhibition Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall. Tuesday, September 06, 2016
El Tecolote Alexis Terrazas of El Tecolote speaks with Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik and her collaborators from Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez, Victor Martinez and Francisco “Paco” Leon. Friday, September 23, 2016
Mission Local Liliana Michelena speaks with Sita Bhaumik and her collaborators Víctor Martínez, Francisco León, and Isaías Rodríguez about the exhibition "Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall." Wednesday, October 05, 2016
KALW Artist, writer, and educator Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik, whose project Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall closes on October 15, told KALW’s Sights & Sounds about three great arts events happening around the Bay this weekend. Thursday, October 13, 2016. Author: Jen Chien
KQED Arts KQED Arts videographer Kelly Whalen captures the spirit and essence of Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall, a Southern Exposure project with Sita Bhaumik in collaboration with Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez, Little Piñata Maker, Cece Carpio (Trust Your Struggle), Iván Padilla Mónico, La Pelanga, People’s Kitchen Collective, and Norma Listman. Wednesday, November 02, 2016
Art Papers Monica Westin of Art Papers reviews Southern Exposure's collaborative project with Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik, Estamos contra el muro | We Are Against the Wall, delving into its cultural origins and political implications. Tuesday, November 01, 2016
San Francisco Chronicle Artist and creative director George McCalman illustrates the personalities of participants of Bay Area events for San Francisco Chronicle's visual column Style. Sunday, December 18, 2016