El Puerto Ingles

Co-exhibitors:

Thomas Vann Altheimer

El Puerto Ingles (also known as Side Effects / Efectos Secundarios) is a series of exhibitions born from a collaboration between I21 espacio de proyectos in Mexicali, Mexico and Steppling Gallery at San Diego State University in Calexico, CA. Like many others, I21 and Steppling Gallery felt compelled to continue programming despite their brick-and-mortar locations being closed due to the pandemic. They decided to join forces to create this binational effort, resulting in a series of four exhibitions, each subtitled Volume I, II, III, IV and V. Artists from both sides of the US/Mexico border are invited to participate, presenting their work on this digital platform.

Fifteen months after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Side Effects launches Volume V, the final instalment of the series that began in September 2021. As restrictions ease and places begin to reopen, both in countries where Covid is increasingly under control and in some where it remains a threat, this concluding exhibition reflects on the past year’s events through snippets. It prompts viewers to consider how we will move forward and to reflect on what we have endured and lost.

The video “A Yard for your Thoughts [The Last Huzzah of British Gunboat Diplomacy]” by The Big Bend Film Collective presents a split-screen. The bottom half never shows people but instead displays portions of bridges, buildings and other man-made structures – those of London. The top half shows a more deserted and arid landscape, but a lonely character appears occasionally amidst nature, representing Baja. During the pandemic, those with the means left big cities and relocated to rural areas, a privileged mobility that has occurred throughout history, both nationally and internationally. This mirrors the journey of Europeans to America, driven by various powerful reasons, including escaping disease.