From March 2 to April. 8, The University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) Union Gallery opened its newest exhibit, “The Bridge,” showcasing a vibrant collection of photographs, paintings and mixed media works from both student and professional artists. Coming together to celebrate the shared culture, identity and community of life in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez borderland.
Curated by UTEP student Katy Ruiz, “The Bridge,” takes its name from the literal international bridge and metaphorical cultural bridge connecting the two “sister cities,” one shaped by the people who cross back and forth everyday.
“I believe it really showcases that both sides are not so different. We have a lot of shared values, even though we might be separated by the border,” Ruiz said. “In some ways, we’re the sister cities, but in other ways, it feels like we’re one city.”
Expanding from one of her previous gallery projects, Ruiz explained that she hand-picked pieces from students and professional artists. Specifically, those who regularly crossed the border in order to highlight the shared history and community of both cities.
One featured artist, Ganna Lukashevska, brought with her paintings is a deeply personal perspective to the exhibit. Fleeing Ukraine with her family, Lukashevska would experience the realities of the U.S.-Mexico border.
After being detained and separated from her husband while pregnant after arriving in the U.S. One painting entitled, “Silent Witness Wall,” directly reflected those struggles and crossing the border.
“I remember this feeling like they [will] separate us [from] my husband. And I remember this, it’s not all just my situation. It was other people who were being separated,” Lukashevska said. “The wife can pass the husband, not. We understand its system, it’s law. And when you feel this, you cannot pass like, because that’s what I want to share. This idea.”
Her work uses imagery of the wall, borders and migration to capture the emotion and a more positive and fantastical hope for the “American Dream.”
“More positive, of course, I want to see a positive. Also some kind of fantasy, imagination, how it’s going to be another way. I try to use a different technique to explain the feeling. And I wanted [them to enjoy the art],” Lukashevska said.
For student artists, the exhibit offered the opportunity to connect personal memories with their own experiences crossing the border regularly. One student muralist, Paulina Urquidi, chose to depict moments from her childhood, including herself and her two siblings crossing the international bridge every day on their way to school.
Urquidi’s work, “Ya voy pa Juaritos!” featured rich symbolism and references to the El Paso character “El Amigo Man,” in the sun and bridge, as well as “The X” sculpture in Juarez.
“I work with a friend, and we paint murals. I wanted to show that, because I always cross the bridge to what I want to paint,” Urquidi said. “These three [figures] are crossing the bridge, because me and my siblings when I was in high school, we three crossed the bridge like every day together. And just a bird with, like to represent peace, with, an artistic style, that’s what I wanted to interpret.”
Through these elements, Urquidi’s painting reflects the unity and shared life that exists across the border. Urquidi said the piece serves as both a tribute to border life and a reminder of the connection between El Paso and Juarez.
It’s something beautiful for this community that most of the world doesn’t have this connection with countries, so I feel like art is the best way to talk about it,” Urquidi said.
Together the artists featured in “The Bridge” capture the complexity of border life, the hardships, memories and every day moments that connect El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.
Jewel Ocampo is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]
