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Fire in the Taco Bell: Lo-tech strategies and not-so-shocking art from Mexico City
by Joaquin Segura, Renato Garza, and Ricardo Cuevas (all b. Mexico, all live in Mexico City)



Renato Garza, Joaquin Segura and Ricardo Cuevas used their three-week residency in Los Angeles to create the ambitious multimedia installation Fire in the Taco Bell, hosted by Gallery 727. The project sought to explore the idea of the autonomous zone and its possible repercussions on trade practices with friendly nations and included video and objectual works by Renato Garza and Joaquin Segura, and a lecture by Ricardo Cuevas. The Los Angeles premiere of Renato Ornelas´ feature film, "Cabecitas," produced by Revolcadero Films, was also included in the artists´ presentation.

Pilar Tompkins wrote of the exhibition, "The ebb and flow of culture and commerce through the free trade agreement of North America often times exists without a means of self-examination. The social and political intricacies inherent in this exchange are open to interpretation based upon vantage point. The three Mexican artists in this exhibition invite the viewer to reconsider nationalism through our neighbor´s lens by questioning mainstream American orthodoxy. These works probe how a nation creates and propagates the existence of its own enemies, and how as a society we choose to interpret our role as aggressor and victor through moral maxims. If misperception lies at the heart of conflict, then why is propaganda such a convenient truth?"

Fire in the Taco Bell was one of six projects selected for Fair Trade, a series that concluded Outpost's 2004-2006 North American program cycle, and for which individual artists and artist teams from Mexico, Canada, and the United States were invited by open call to submit proposals.

Online documentation of all Fair Trade projects provided by Shed Research Institute at www.shedresearch.net/fairtrade.html

Fire in the Taco Bell was made possible with the generous support of La Colección Jumex. Special project assistance comes from EDS Galeria, Arena Mexico Arte Contemporaneo, Gallery 727, and the Consulate General of Mexico.

Gallery 727
727 South Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
www.gallery727losangeles.com