Tijuana artists shone brightly this year in the 14th Biennial of Visual Arts of the Northwest.

The art competition, initiated in 1986, was born out of a regional base--FORCA--Regional Fund for Culture and the Arts of the Northwest--made up of the states of Sinaloa, Sonora, Baja California, South Baja California and with equal participation by CECUT, the Tijuana Cultural Center. The competition rotates among the partners, and on August 8, CECUT inaugurated the exhibition by welcoming the Director General of the Institute of Culture of Sinaloa, María Luisa Miranda Monrreal, who was in charge of organizing this biennial.

[p]Tijuana and Northern Baja California artists ranked high among the selected artists. Three of the four finalists are Baja California artists: Jessica Marilú Sánchez Pérez (Tijuana), Julio M. Romero (Tijuana) and Chantal Peñalosa Navarro (Tecate). Among those awarded with honorable mention, three out of five are from our region: Karina Villalobos (Mexicali), Jaime Ruiz Otis (Tijuana), and Pablo Llana (Tijuana).

[/p]

"It is clear that something very exciting is happening," says Armando García Orso, Deputy Director of Exhibitions of CECUT. Tijuana, and the art movements here, are very important for the region. "And what has generated this trend," notes García Orso, "is that these movements are tied closely to the independent art movements of the 70s."

[p]What makes Tijuana's art scene unique, explains García Orso, is that Tijuana has always had independent art movements. "In the 1970s, there was not a lot of support for art in Tijuana. There was no real cultural infrastructure, no institutions or spaces to exhibit.

[/p]

"Collectives started independently, drawing talent here to Tijuana from the south, from Mexico City, and many of these artists became teachers."

We can see the lineage here in the Biennial: Jaime Ruiz Otis and Chantal Peñalosa Navarro were both students of Alvaro Blancarte.

[p]The pieces in this Biennial were judged and selected independently, explains Pilar Villela Mascaró in her essay in the show's catalog. It was important to guard against bias, explains Villela. She was one of three members of the jury tasked with selecting the twenty-nine best works from over two hundred submissions.

[/p]

"Thus, each submission was considered as an individual work that could stand alone on their own merits," notes Villela, "without considering the manner in which each piece might fit into the broader context of the artist's trajectory and career."

"While we naturally want to view an individual painting or photograph in the context of the complete works of an artist," notes Villela, "the advantage here was to allow the judges to consider the works more objectively, to see them as unique works independent of the medium, the artist's trajectory and free from bias based on knowledge of the artistic circles in which the artists have developed."

[p]The committee noticed some clear patterns in artistic media. A clear preponderance of photography and video projects, non-traditional disciplines and emerging art forms reflect the use of new technologies in art-making among artists in northwest Mexico.

[/p]

The work is indeed varied and full of surprise and humor, while other pieces are more edgy and somber, reflecting the dark days of the 2000s. The enthusiastic response of the hundreds in attendance at the inauguration confirms the appeal of this year's selections. It is well worth taking a trip to CECUT to see these new works.

The show continues at CECUT until October 5.

Click for more information on exhibitions and driving directions to CECUT

Click here for our gallery of photographs from the exhibition.

jill.holslin@sandiegored.com