Binational Tour 2023 ‘Migrant Heart’: Nostalgia and Roots

The Binational Tour 2023 “Migrant Heart”, consisting of 40 works by 23 Mexican and Mexican-American artists, will travel across the United States throughout the year.

The Binational Tour 2023 “Migrant Heart” is a collective exhibition composed of 40 works by 23 Mexican and Mexican-American artists who live in the United States. The purpose of this exhibition is to reflect on the reality of migrants and their nostalgia for the country they left behind.

Throughout 2023, the exhibition will travel to Mexican Consulates in the United States and Mexico City, where it will conclude its journey from the United States towards the end of the year at Los Pinos, with the opening date still pending confirmation. The exhibition was inaugurated this month of March in Nogales, Arizona, with the presence of the artist Karla Osete.

The “Migrant Heart” exhibition in Nogales is divided into 30 works at the Consulate and 10 more at the Línea Art Studio on Morley Street. During the opening event, The Braided Janes band from Chicago was part of the exhibition, projecting in their music the multiculturalism that reflects the migrant experience. The art exhibition was in Phoenix, Arizona in February, and now it will be in Nogales until March 24th, with open hours to the public from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

After Arizona, the art exhibition will be at the Mexican Consulate in El Paso, Texas from March 30th to April 14th. Afterwards, the art works will be displayed in a similar way in Houston from April 20th to May 5th; Kansas from May 10th to May 25th; Chicago from May 30th to June 14th; Philadelphia from June 20th to July 5th; New York from July 10th to July 25th; Raleigh, North Carolina from August 21st to September 5th; Orlando, Florida from September 11th to September 25th; Miami from September 29th to October 16th; and Los Angeles from November 1st to November 15th.

“Migrant Heart” started in 2022 at the Mexican Consulate headquarters in San Bernardino, California. Later, the exhibition visited the state of Baja California, where fashion designer Julieta Zavala and singer-songwriter Jessica Rodriguez of The Braided Janes collaborated for the first time for the art exhibition of the tour during the 3rd Binational Journey of Mexican-Origin Artists, held at the Cultural Center of Tijuana (CECUT) last December.

The works of the Binational Tour “Migrant Heart”

The exhibition, which blends the styles of different artists, shows something in common: color, nostalgia, and respect for the traditions and culture of different regions of the country where the authors of the works come from. For example, Karla Osete presents two acrylic works: “Fiesta de Tenabaris” and “Danzante hasta los huesos”, where the traditions of the indigenous peoples of Sonora are honored.

On the other hand, Salvador Rodriguez, originally from Michoacan, presents the painting “Pedaleando en la Pandemia”, created in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, where the effort of the working class to overcome the health crisis is appreciated. He also exhibits “Preciosa”, a portrait of a woman dressed in typical clothing from Michoacan and holding a basket of avocados in her arms.

The artist of Oaxacan descent, Monica Gisel Crespo, recreated the origins of Mexican culture in her works. In “Maíz”, a pair of blue ears of corn are observed with a couple of hummingbirds dancing around them. On the other hand, in “Eterno”, death is represented by a very special guide, the xoloescuincle.

To see more details about the artists, their contacts, and the addresses of the consulates where “Migrant Heart” will be presented, you can visit the website corazonmigrante.org.

What do you think about this artistic initiative?

_{Credits: El Diario de Sonora, Az Central, Corazón Migrante.}