By Pablo J. Sáinz
In “Transpoiesis,” Tijuana artist Jose Hugo Sanchez explores a topic very appropriate for our border region: The relationships between Mexico and the United States through icons from both cultures.
The exhibition starts this week through Nov. 4th at the San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Dr., D101, San Diego.
“He reaches back in history, resurrecting Indigenous characters and brandishing them as a visual weapon against Colonialism and American hegemony,” said Alessandra Moctezuma, art professor and gallery director at San Diego Mesa College. “Sanchez follows on the strong graphic tradition of Mexican printmaker Jose Guadalupe Posada and the Taller de Grafica Popular but is also influenced by the German Expressionists.”
The gallery features six large-scale scroll-like prints 15’ tall by 6’ wide.
Moctezuma said that “these monumental prints are one of the highlights of this exhibition.”
Included in the oversized scrolls are pre-Columbian figures, masked persons, calaveras, and Mickey Mouse.
The exhibition also features a set of linocuts produced by San Diego Mesa College students during a weekend workshop led by the artist.
“Jose Hugo Sanchez is a prolific artists and an artist ‘of’ and ‘on’ the border,” Moctezuma said.
Transpoiesis: Through Nov. 4. Artist Jose Hugo Sanchez’ huge prints recreate iconic border images along with a series of student-created work. San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Dr., D101, San Diego. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 8 p.m. Closed Fridays, weekends, and holidays.
sdmesa.edu/art-gallery.
Live Shows
Latin Fridays: Every Friday. DJs play the best of salsa, cumbia, merengue, and bachata. Blue Agave Nightclub, 6608 Mission Gorge Rd., San Diego. Free before 10 p.m. Open until 4 a.m. (619) 521-3194.
Noel Torrez and Los Rieleros del Norte: Oct. 16. Here’s even more norteño music, new and classic songs. El Nuevo Show Palace, 1527 S. Mission Ave., Oceanside. 9 p.m. (760) 439-1100.
Argentine Tango Social: Oct. 19. Held every third Monday of the month, this milonga takes you all the way to Buenos Aires and back. Centro Cultural de la Raza, Balboa Park. 8:30 p.m. $10. centroculturaldelaraza.com.
Salsa: Every Wednesday. The best salsa bands, dance lessons, and puro sabor, with Walter Meneses, at Sevilla Nightclub, 353 5th Ave., San Diego. October 21 features Afrofruko Orquestra and DJ Mambo. 9 p.m. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. cafesevilla.com.
Frida Kahlo: Del infierno a la Gloria: Oct. 30 and 31. Spanish-language play about the life and work of this iconic Mexican painter. Centro Cultural de la Raza, Balboa Park. Presented by Villa Maria Productions and CAEM. 6 p.m. $10. centroculturaldelaraza.com.
Exhibitions
Eureka!: Opens Oct. 17. This exhibition celebrates California’s creativity, including Collective Magpie’s binational Globos installation at The New Children’s Museum, 200 West Island Ave., Downtown San Diego. $12. thinkplaycreate.org.
Pan de todos los días: Through Oct. 26. San Diego-based Mexican artist Becky Guttin reuses common objects that otherwise would end up in the trash and turns them into beautiful pieces. Unlocation Gallery, 1925 30th St., San Diego. Please call (619) 997-9595 to make an appointment to see the show.
Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed: Through Jan. 3. Learn more about our Mayan ancestors through art. San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $9 to $16. sdnhm.org/maya.
Movies
The Lemon Grove Incident: Oct. 23. This PBS documentary directed by Paul Espinosa highlights the first time segregated education was challenged in court by a Mexican family in San Diego. Cross Cultural Center, UC San Diego, La Jolla. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free. libraries.ucsd.edu.
Digital Gym Cinema: Throughout October. The community theater located at 2921 El Cajon Blvd., in North Park, will screen Venezuelan dark comedy 3 bellezas (Oct. 2-8), Spanish thriller Marshland (Oct. 16-22), and Bolivian historical drama Olvidados (Oct. 23-29), as part of its monthly series Cinema en tu idioma. Different times and prices. digitalgym.org.