An extended residency in Paris sharpened his avant-garde eye, while his travels to Oaxaca deepened his connection with Mexican artisan culture. But it was Tijuana's physical and cultural proximity to the United States that allowed him access to Los Angeles and San Francisco, a key ingredient in his trademark fusion of surrealism and pop.

Among the pieces more obviously inspired by his bordertown muse are a tribute to Juan Soldado, a federal solder executed for rape and murder in 1939 who later became a would-be unofficial folk saint for undocumented migrants, an urban legend that continues to stir controversy in Tijuana today; and an epic mural depicting Hernan Cortes' indigenous lover La Malinche perched atop a toilet, nude except for a pair of high heels, surrounded by warriors bearing newspaper armor and Pepsi shields.

While his take on religion, sexuality and authority proved to be too graphic for Mexico City — "too much for los chilangos," Davila said — it was just as provocative as the American scene would permit. Serrano illustrates a vivid connection to not just the border but the city as a link to two separate cultural and political entities, a stigma that continues to relevantly illustrate Tijuana, Davila said, "with hope, courage and adaptation to change."

Tijuana to a tee.

Located a mile from the San Ysidro border crossing on Paseo de los Heroes, Centro Cultural Tijuana is open daily; admission is free on Sundays. "Benjamin Serrano, Transcendence and Vanguard from Tijuana" runs through October. More info at cecut.gob.mx.

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