margarita cabrera
it is impossible to cover the sun with a finger
27 january - 17 march 2019
curated by curatorial associate emily edwards
we take a look back at our january 2019 exhibition margarita cabrera: it is impossible to cover the sun with a finger.
on view was a new series of prints that recycled symbols used throughout cabrera’s career, such as butterflies, pennies, and cacti.
the large work was broken up into six panels that needed to be carefully pieced together like a puzzle. the artist is in the red poncho on the right.
the exhibition featured over 30 cacti sculptures of the space in between series. the artist worked with members of the community to embroider their personal immigration stories into the fabric.
a timeline of the texas-mexico border was created with the william p. clements center for southwest studies and the smu mission foods texas-mexico center to help contextualize the exhibition. it ranged from 1848 to the then contemporary moment of the government shutdown because of disagreements over border security policies.
the exhibition title (named after this print) is a common metaphor within latin american communities, used to show how reality can only partially be disguised.
for this exhibition, dallas contemporary commissioned a new found-object work, titled what lies between earth and sky.
the sculptures are constructed out of border patrol uniforms found in el paso flea markets.
the installation of the works created a landscape for visitors to walk through, replicating the journey of the immigrants who helped create the works.
the most rewarding part of this exhibition as its curator was seeing visitors find their own stories represented in a museum space.