BOOK
RELEASE
Guillermo Bert: The Journey – This 208-page hardcover book is published in conjunction with Guillermo Bert: The Journey. Contributions from Alma Ruiz, Vivian Zavataro, Ximena Keogh Serrano, Tressa Berman. English/Spanish. $65
The Book is available now for purchase directly from Guillermo Bert. Contact via email bert.guillermo155@gmail.com or contact the Nevada Museum
From the critic Alma Ruiz: “For The Warriors, Bert delves again into the mostly Latino immigrant community to select models for his installation. The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the indispensability of the Latino workforce, whose presence is prolific among frontline workers. By definition, this group includes, but is not limited to, “healthcare workers, protective services workers, cashiers at grocery and general merchandise stores, food production and processing workers, janitors and maintenance workers, agricultural workers, and truck drivers.” These individuals perform jobs without which the country would come to a standstill. From that perspective, frontline workers are like an army of warriors always ready to serve”
Bert’s “Encoded Textiles”
featured in exhibition
“This Present Moment:
Crafting a Better World”
MAY 13, 2022 — APRIL 2, 2023
Bert’s work will be included in this group exhibition highlighting the role that artists play in sparking essential conversations, stories of resilience, and methods of activism to demonstrate a more relational and empathetic world. The exhibition will focus on often-overlooked histories and contributions of women, people of color, and other marginalized communities.
This Present Moment marks the fiftieth anniversary of SAAM’s Renwick Gallery as the nation’s preeminent center for the enjoyment of American craft.
The opening reception and conversation with the artist
and Alma Ruiz will be held on September 7, 2023 from 4–5 pm.
Guillermo Bert makes artworks that explore issues of transculturation and identity, focusing on the endurance of the immigrants who have left their home countries behind. Rooted in his personal story, Bert’s primary focus has been the experiences of people and families who enter the United States along the U.S. – Mexico border. His artworks draw metaphorical relationships between the journeys of migrants, harsh and empty desert landscapes, and the commodification and objectification of American values. This mid-career survey includes artworks in a variety of traditional and contemporary media that are drawn from the entirety of Bert’s career, as well as new works produced exclusively for this exhibition.
In his multi-media and conceptually layered works, Bert addresses the ways in which colonization and capitalist systems contribute to cultural displacement and the loss of Indigenous identities, traditions, and religions. In series such as Encoded Textiles and Border Zone, Bert keeps old traditions alive through modern technology, enticing the viewer to actively participate in his art while simultaneously transporting them into the realities of others. Through his different series, he gives voice to people who have been marginalized, silenced, and overlooked.
Guillermo Bert | The Journey offers a comprehensive overview of Bert’s artistic career to date, featuring iconic pieces from both public and private collections. As you embark on your own journey through this exhibition, we invite you to think about your personal experiences with immigration and immigrants, question your own biases, and consider how your individual, family, and cultural traditions have been altered as result of immigration and colonization.
This exhibition is guest-curated by Vivian Zavataro. We are grateful for the scholarly contributions of Tressa Berman, anthropoeta, writer, and curator; Ximena Keogh Serrano, poet and interdisciplinary scholar;
and Alma Ruiz, independentcurator.
DIVERSEartLA
is returning in 2024
Feb 14-18 at the Los Angeles Convention Center
I am excited to announce that I will be participating in 2024 in this museum section of the LA ART FAIR at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
DIVERSEartLA is returning in 2024 with a collaboration of museums, art institutions, and non-profits to inspire innovative ideas and drive social change through art. This year’s focus is on climate change and its impact, particularly the severe drought in California. The program offers immersive experiences and installations that prompt reflection on the consequences of climate change and the urgent need for collaborative solutions. DIVERSEartLA dedicates a section to community engagement, partnering with orgs like Skid Row Cooling Resources and Homeless Health Care LA to facilitate conversations about water’s significance, cooling resources, and environmental responses.
Curated by Marisa Caichiolo, the 2024 edition will explore nostalgia and memories, immigration, and refugees’ stories. As immigrants and refugees come into contact with one another, their complex, volatile, and nostalgic memories take on a new form, fuse together, and even become part of the collective memory. Through these stories, we reflect on what it means to leave one’s country of origin behind and build a new path and future in a different country.
