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CAV Gallery of Las Cruces presents a solo exhibition by Bella Maria Varela called “@Border Becky,” which will have an opening reception 6-9 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at CAV Gallery, 128 S. Main St. Downtown.
“@border_becky is a mixed media installation that combines photography and video with fleece blanket assemblages to explore the intersection of immigration and gender identity through the lens of contemporary pop culture and mass media,” according to the artist’s statement about the exhibit. “I cut and reconfigure iconic material to skewer mainstream anti-immigration rhetoric, subvert the appropriation of Latinx culture and queer mythologies of Americanness,” Varela said.
The exhibit continues at CAV Gallery through Saturday, April 30. The gallery is open noon to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The installation includes two videos, “@border_becky” and “Triathlon,” the artist said.
“The video ‘@border_becky’ follows a social media controversy in which two students, Becky and Kyle, are caught in the middle of a protest while engaging in site-based research at the U.S.-Mexico border. In the midst of this chaos, the couple navigates the drama of their evolving romantic relationship. As they confront their own queer and class identities, Becky and Kyle must rethink their understanding of the gender binary parallel within the context of the temporal binaries of the border. The video layers performative digital activism with the trauma that haunts those whose identity is not an optional performance,” Varela said.
“The video ‘Triathlon’ invites the audience to explore the personal story behind the Becky persona,” the artist said. Inspired by the artist’s own family's competitive sporting spirit, it tracks the rhythms and terrains of American immigration and confronts the absurd constructs of U.S. patriotism and exceptionalism, Varela said.
“The reconstructed blanket installation creates an environment similar to walking a through commercial shopping district at border towns, where icons of American idealism clash with the harsh realities of border crossing,” Varela said. “The gaps in the assemblages create a space where hybrid identities exist within the downfalls of neoliberal capitalism. Becky the Explorer is an ode to the resourceful immigrant hustlers, a prayer to asylum seekers and an offering of much needed comedic relief in a time of high anxiety.”
The Cristian Anthony Vallejo (CAV) Memorial Gallery was founded by artist and photographer Marcus Xavier Chormicle in 2020. The name honors his late cousin. A digital marketing specialist, Chormicle also founded Chormicle Photography.
Contact Chormicle at 575-652-9199 and marcuschormicle@gmail.com.
Visit www.cavgallery.com and find him on Facebook and Instagram @cav_gallery.
