MexiCali Biennial Brings Land of Milk and Honey Exhibition to SDSU Imperial Valley
SDSU Imperial Valley lecturer and director will gather local and bi-national artists to showcase artwork on the impact of agriculture.
In 2006, when Luis Guillermo Hernandez, director of SDSU Imperial Valley’s Steppling Art Gallery, and fellow artist, Ed Gomez, attended a biennial exhibition in Southern California, it sparked an idea to create their own biennial art organization and bring it to Mexicali, Mexico.
Now, Hernandez is the co-founder of the MexiCali Biennial, a contemporary visual arts organization that works to provide a platform for local underrepresented and contemporary artists.
Hernandez is bringing the “Land of Milk and Honey” exhibition to SDSU Imperial Valley on Oct. 13. The exhibition will showcase artwork from local and regional artists inspired by the region’s agriculture and foodways.
“Our upcoming exhibition will allow a space for artists from throughout the state and Mexico to express their experiences and journeys living in a transborder, agricultural community,” said Hernandez, who is also a lecturer in SDSU Imperial Valley’s arts department. “Although this year’s theme has been in the works for a while and has been presented elsewhere, the opportunity to bring it to SDSU Imperial Valley is special because of the school’s location and the valley’s strong connection to agriculture.”
The popularity of art biennials began in the mid-2000s in the U.S. and Europe, explained Hernandez, where many established, international artists would be invited to showcase their art projects, and compare what else had been produced around the world.
For MexiCali Biennial’s “Land of Milk and Honey," the organization aims to bring artwork that questions ethical, cultural and regional practices related to foodways, highlighting the journey from “seed” to table through multimedia installations and imagery. In every artwork displayed, the participating artists draw inspiration from the Latinx, migrant community.
“As the curators got together to brainstorm the theme of the exhibition, we realized we were connecting the dots as we were all drawing from our own experiences as migrants to California, or in my own case, being born and raised in Mexicali and Imperial Valley,” said Hernandez. “We hope that our visitors will enjoy the art and see the creativity, representation and strength of our communities.”
Since late 2022, the “Land of Milk and Honey” exhibition has made stops across California including the Cheech Center for Chicano Art and Culture of the Riverside Art Museum, San Bernardino County Museum, the Best Practice Gallery in San Diego and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.
The “Land of Milk and Honey” exhibition will hold its opening reception on Oct. 13 and will be open to the public through Dec. 12.
