The City of El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) invites the community to celebrate an art takeover featuring the opening of two new exhibitions, “Ambos Lados: International Print Exchange” and “The Uncolonized: A Vision in the Parallel,” on view starting 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 18.
The art takeover showcases the intersection of art and history. The Ambos Lados exhibition will be on display through July 15 and The Uncolonized exhibition will be on display through May 27.
Historically, art reflects a vision of a culture in a given time period showing how individuals and communities were reflected, capturing triumphs, defeat, hope, and wonderment. In these exhibitions, the art serves as a living archive of contemporary works by artists navigating and interpreting the world we live in.
Ambos Lados: International Print Exchange
“Ambos Lados” is an exhibition of 158 prints from artists in six countries, primarily Mexico and the United States, including 18 artists from New Mexico and several Albuquerque artists. “Ambos Lados” translates as “both sides” in Spanish. The exhibition emerged out of a print exchange organized on both sides of the border by Manuel Guerra, Director of Horned Toad Prints in El Paso, and Adrian Aguirre and Beatriz Rivas of Taller Grafica Libre in Zaachila, Oaxaca. The prints and larger project emphasize the unity of artists and peoples across the political border of the United States and Mexico. While there was no set theme for the exchange organized in 2018, many of the works explore political and social issues, specifically the border, while others are contemplative, humorous, or abstract.
The Uncolonized: A Vision in the Parallel
Created by local artist Angel Cabrales, “The Uncolonized” is a peek into a parallel world where the Western Hemisphere averted colonization and the Indigenous people of the lands thrived unobstructed. This body of work celebrates the Indigenous heritage of people and is intended to provoke curiosity into the untaught histories of our Mesoamerican legacy.
Special thanks to Angel Cabrales, Karl Whittaker, and Manuel Guerra.
For more information on the El Paso Museum of History, visit EPMuseumOfHistory.org.
