By Sam Skopp
On Saturday, August 12, the Building Bridges Art Exchange, located in unit F2 of Bergamot Station, hosted an open house to welcome its two newest resident artists, Karen Perry and Jacobo Alonso, both of whom are visiting from Mexico.
Gallery Director and Curator Marisa Caichiolo explained that the gallery regularly hosts artists from foreign countries – sometimes two different countries at a time – in order to encourage these artists to engage with each other’s unique perspectives, as well as that provided by the gallery.
Perry and Alonso both attended the University of Baja California, and Perry was a teacher there for a number of years. Caichiolo explained that one unique element of this residency is that each artist is at a significantly different point in their own respective careers.
“We’ve been working and collaborating with the minister of culture in Mexico and the University of Baja California for many years,” said Caichiolo.
The residency began two weeks prior to its August 12 open house, and during that time, both artists created a number of works to fill their gallery spaces, and will continue to create works throughout the duration of their residencies.
“I think it’s an opportunity for them to experiment outside of their limits,” said Caichiolo.
In addition to hosting its artists’ works, Building Bridges also facilitates workshops and lectures with its resident artists for students throughout the L.A. area. They work, for example, with Inner City Arts in Downtown L.A., among others, though currently, most students are on summer vacation.
Alonso’s works being displayed in the gallery prominently feature smoke as well as the human body as a vehicle for performance. Perry’s works all utilize puzzle pieces, some depicting them on a flat plane and others organizing pieces in a three-dimensional space.
For more information about the current resident artists and the Building Bridges Art Exchange, visit buildingbridgesartexchange.org.
