I found Gloria Anzaldúa’s “Border Art” to be incredibly insightful in not only describing the liminality of existing between two converging spaces, the nepantla, as someone who has lived all their life in a bordertown. There are many benefits to living by the border, such as being able to frequently visit my family who resides in México and partake in cultural events. Of course, there are cons as well, such as physically my area is very polluted due to the smog that is created from the frequent traffic to and from Mexicali, the sister town to my hometown. Between travel it is easy to feel the transition that Anzaldúa describes as your position in society changes, changing from one role to another. It especially creates some interesting scenarios to consider along the common saying “ni de aquí, ni de allá.”
Additionally, I liked her discussion on her conflicted feelings of interacting with indigenous culture, in this particular example Aztec, a sentiment I recall Yolanda M. López also expressed. I find myself aligning with her thoughts, as I, too, find comfort in the symbolism and the residues that we can notice in our now hybrid Mexican heritage, but also wonder if I am taking something that truly does not belong to me.
I thought it would be appropriate to share border art from my own section of the border instead of the art already presented in the reading. The art I will be sharing is called “Border Metamorphosis” and it was created by the community throughout 1998-2001. It was meant to personalize the new metal sheets placed to physically mark the end of the U.S. and the start of México during the Clinton presidency. The lead artist, Armando Rascon, used Olmec elements in the geometry and the colors are meant to represent the connection from the people to earth. Largely the image is a friendship bracelet, to uphold the connection between Calexico and Mexicali, despite the physical barrier between the two cities. With the recent border modifications in the past presidency these murals have to be taken down, but a segment was conserved to be displayed in a park for the community to continue to visit.
https://www.thedesertreview.com/arts_and_entertainment/calexico-binational-mural-exhibit-unveiled-at-carmen-durazo-cultural-arts-center/article_13c55ea8-d2a4-11e8-9720-abe2bab2b735.html
https://borderzine.com/2010/05/facing-a-decaying-mural-and-fading-message-the-calexico-mexicali-camaraderie-struggles-to-survive-2/
I like the point you bring up about the aztec culture. I wonder too if that is truly something that is part of my culture and do not want to be claiming or doing things that may not be rightfully my culture. The way you worded is was very thoughtful.
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