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During his initial residency in the Tijuana-San Diego region in 1996, Mexican artist Miguel Calderón visited and explored several sites on both sides of the border to imagine what shape his project might take in response to the context, and as part of his project for INSITE97.

After spending some time in the US-Mexico region, the artist Miguel Calderón bought a collection of photographs of tourists from a Tijuana photographer – snapshots that were initially intended to be sold as souvenirs. Inexplicably, the suitcase containing the photographs was stolen during Miguel’s return flight to Mexico City.

On his return to Mexico City, and shortly after being mugged in a taxi, the artist began hailing cabs in the hope of convincing a driver to take him to the border—a venture that would become the basis for his work for INSITE.

After two days, a driver finally agreed to accept the fare and embark on the three thousand mile journey with the artist. For several days, the two strangers travel through Mexico, engaged in long conversations and shared hotels and the confined space of the cab.

Upon arriving at the border, the driver agreed to temporarily lend his car to the artist who then crossed into San Diego, thus completing the project.

The work was revealed through an album of snapshots taken by Miguel during the journey, together with the original taximeter (which kept running not only throughout the trip but also for the duration of the exhibition) that was a gift from the driver to the artist.

The documentation for ‘Taxímetro’ is being made public for the first time since its creation twenty-four years ago.