About the Event:
Saturday, May 5 at 12 PM – 5 PM
Free Beer & Wine
Free Parking at 513 N Flores
Wall With Land is a conceptual performance by Amalia Ortiz in conversation with work created by Artpace’s Spring 2018 International Artist-In-Residence Rafa Esparza, Carlos Rosales-Silva, and Kapwani Kawanga.
In the performance, Amalia temporarily reintroduces the architectures of the “white cube,” using ice blocks to build a small wall around her in the courtyard. She will read poetry and other texts for while the ice melts.
“The elements of land and water will outlast the influence of man, although humans temporarily manipulate and pervert both. Waiting for the ice to melt becomes a metaphor for nature waiting for humanity to allow it to return to its uncorrupted state. The condition of being cold as a performer also references the ‘hieleras’ or temporary holding cells for refugees.”
As a Chicana feminist raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Amalia expresses her heritage and politics through performance. Her experience growing up on the border permeates through her work. Amalia’s work claims space for the marginalized, regains power through public performance, and creates a dialogue between communities.
