L.A.’s Gregorio Escalante Gallery will present a collection of new, original works from Book of Life director Jorge Gutierrez: Border Bang. Opening Saturday, July 9 and running through August 14, Border Bang is a “love letter” to the Tijuana and U.S. border, documenting the bootleg artifacts for sale and re-appropriation of the pop culture bombardment which serves as a subversive window on global issues and events.
Celebrated animator, painter, writer and director Jorge Gutierrez was raised in Tijuana, crossing the border into the U.S. to attend elementary and high school. Each day he would encounter the unlicensed goods that created alternative narratives to the cartoon characters and celebrities they portrayed. Border Band is a reflection of Gutierrez’s childhood narrative, using images from Mickey Mouse to Tupac Shakur to convey the reflections of global events as witnessed by the border, and explore his love affair with Mexican pop and folk culture.
Border Bang will open concurrently with fellow Book of Life producer and artist Guillermo del Toro’s exhibition at LACMA, with an opening reception set for July 9 at 7 p.m. at the Gallery.
