The Good Neighbor, 1997

Installed at the Casa de la Cultura in Tijuana, Tony Capellan’s INSITE97 piece, El buen vecino/The Good Neighbor, was a symbol of the border and the consequences brought by partitioning land between two powers. The two chairs at the heads of table represented the United States and Mexican governments, and the table, covered in chili peppers, was dissected by a raucous, spinning buzz saw. Originally conceived to represent two hundred years of land treaties between the two countries, the final installation emphasized the violence and loss experienced by Mexico when the country was divested of its lands.

Curators: Jessica Bradley, Olivier Debroise, Ivo Mesquita, and Sally Yard
Venue: Casa de la Cultura, Tijuana