“For the Animals” tests the physical, environmental and social boundaries between nature and culture by creating a hybrid installation of land and sound art. The project focuses on various species that are native to the Sonoran Desert such as the endangered jaguar and the Mexican grey wolf. These animals will be most affected by the newly proposed border wall between Mexico and the U.S., by restricting their ability to navigate the Sonoran Desert as they have for hundreds of years. Candiani is collaborating with electronic musicians to create experimental musical scores that are intended as lullabies for the Sonoran creatures, attempting to create an ultrasonic dialogue with nature. The exhibition will include videos, ephemera and sculptural sound pieces which will translate the music for viewers through a visual language. “For the Animals” is a metaphor for the ongoing migration predicament at the U.S./Mexico border, especially with the recent influx of Central American women and youth fleeing violence and poverty. Through the shared experience of sound — between animals and humans, the project aims to bring larger ideas of migration into a lived reality, thereby humanizing the migration crisis.
About the artist:
Tania Candiani represented Mexico in the 56th Venice Biennale. She is interested in experiments with sound, sculpture and computer science and is among the most highly respected artists in Mexico. Candiani’s work has been included in group exhibitions around the world, including the National Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Netherlands; XI Cairo Biennial; Palace of Arts, Egypt; Laboratorio de Arte Alameda, Mexico. She is a recent Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and currently a Smithsonian fellow.
Image courtesy of Tania Candiani.
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