Fernando Arias’s project, The Line/La línea, was installed at the ReinCarnation Project in downtown San Diego. Using a piece of the US-Mexico border sheet metal fence slightly suspended above a concrete floor, Arias divided an interior space. Beneath the suspended edge of the fence the artist placed white powder—an image of cocaine about to be cut. Attempting to highlight the human issues raised by illegal drug trafficking among countries of the Americas, Arias focused particularly on the use of the human body as a vehicle for transport and smuggling. During the opening weekend of the exhibition, Arias invited viewers to look into an endoscope running into his body to illustrate the invasive ways in which drugs are transported.
Curators: Jessica Bradley, Olivier Debroise, Ivo Mesquita, and Sally Yard
Venue: The ReinCarnation Project, San Diego
Jonathan Colin
Paul Walrath