CLEVELAND — As national debates on immigration and border security dominate this election season, the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is presenting a timely new exhibit that offers a unique perspective on the U.S. - Mexico border.
"Picturing the Border," which runs through January 5, 2025, features over 50 photographs that showcase life on both sides of the border.
The images, taken by Latinx, Chicano/a, and Mexican photographers, capture the culture, identity, and human experience of those living in the borderlands.
Unlike typical coverage focusing on the border wall or the politics of immigration, the exhibition takes a deeper dive into everyday life in these regions.
The exhibit spans from the 1970s to the present day and emphasizes the rich cultural hybridity of the area, where American and Mexican influences come together to form a unique identity.
“Borders have long been spaces of contention,” said Nadiah Rivera Fellah, curator of contemporary art at the CMA. “The mainstream media often presents the border as a place of threat and division, but these photographs offer a more nuanced and humanized view. They tell a story about the identities, languages, and cultures that exist in these communities, which are often overlooked.”
The exhibit showcases intimate domestic portraits, images of border crossings, and even confrontations with the U.S. Border Patrol, offering various perspectives.
The photographers behind the camera are often residents of the border themselves, providing an insider’s view of life in this often misunderstood region.
“It gives a more human perspective, something you don’t get from the news," Sharon Bechtel, a visitor, told News 5.
The exhibit’s photographers, including prominent figures like Louis Carlos Bernal, Graciela Iturbide, and Laura Aguilar, and emerging artists like Ada Trillo and Guadalupe Rosales, offer a fresh visual language to depict border life.
Their work ranges from intimate family scenes to politically charged moments of migration.
“The border itself is an arbitrary division,” said Fellah says. “It doesn’t truly divide cultures or languages, and this exhibit shows the hybridity and complexity of these communities.”
A 134-page exhibition catalog accompanies the show, with contributions from Fellah and poet Natalie Scenters-Zapico.
This volume delves deeper into the exhibit's themes, offering scholarly essays and further analysis of borderland life.
In addition to the photographs, "Picturing the Border" is supported by several complementary programs, including a virtual lecture on the vibrant family life captured by photographer Louis Carlos Bernal and a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration featuring Latin music, food, and dancing.
The museum will also host discussions with artists featured in the exhibition, giving visitors the chance to engage more deeply with the themes of migration, displacement, and identity.
Upcoming Complementary Programming:
- Virtual Lunchtime Lecture: The Vibrancy of Family Life: Louis Carlos Bernal’s Work with Color (October 1, 2024)
- MIX: Bailamos Hispanic Heritage Celebration (October 4, 2024)
- Artist Talk: In Conversation: Zoe Leonard, Guadalupe Rosales, and Josh Franco (December 7, 2024)
The CMA’s "Picturing the Border" aims to move beyond political debates and stereotypes, providing a platform for the people living at the border to tell their own stories through powerful photography.
The exhibition is free and open to the public at the museum’s Mark Schwartz and Bettina Katz Photography Gallery.
