San Diego Weekend Arts Events: 'Crying on the Blue Line Trolley,' soundON Festival, Mission Trails, Preston Swirnoff and more

Speaker 1: (00:00)

You're listening to K PBS midday edition. I'm Jade Henman in our weekend arts preview. We have some intriguing ensemble music and lots of new visual art from border artists, including an exhibition of painted renditions of celebrity mugshots. Joining me with all the details as K PBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans. Julia. Welcome. Hi

Speaker 2: (00:21)

Jade. Thanks for having me first

Speaker 1: (00:23)

Up. Let's talk about two new exhibitions opening up at best practice gallery and Logan Heights, both by Mexican artists who are longtime partners and collaborators. Tell us about

Speaker 2: (00:33)

Them. Yeah. One is a work by Mauricio Munos and these are paintings that they based on celebrity mugshots. And then there's also a video installation, a separate exhibition by Andrew Roberts. Roberts work is informed by this pretty unusual connection that his family has on both sides. Both of his grandfathers, one in America and one in Mexico were involved in arms manufacturing during the Vietnam war, working with the same company in different countries. The Mexican grandfather opened a factory of his own only for it to be completely lost to fire. And the American grandfather, after he fought in the war in Vietnam, he came home with severe PTSD and he burned down his own home. So Roberts is drawing on a lot of family trauma and connects it to these really bigger issues of interventionist policies and the arms relationship between us and Mexico using video game software. He rendered 3d models of his grandfather's house and his grandfather's that burned. And he created this two channel video work with narration for that show.

Speaker 1: (01:49)

Mm. And I wanna hear more about those celebrity mug shots and why that was important to turn into artwork. Well,

Speaker 2: (01:56)

These are pretty incredible. And for me, what was actually kind of unsettling was how instantly rec recognizable these paintings are. Despite the fact that Munia uses really thick brushstrokes. These paintings are like abstract swirls of color and texture, but they're still unmistakable there's Paris, Hilton's mugshot, there's Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber. And what Munia is trying to get at here is the way we have this of hunger for what they refer to as celebrity misery,

Speaker 3: (02:28)

I found like the roots of today's obsession and eagerness to consume and see like the mystery of the celebrities. It's almost like, um, Boris thing, see like always really like suffering or seeing them in some kind of trouble or they they're always arrested for, you know, driving under the influence or possession or, or some, something like that. That at end, all these celebrities just get away with whatever they

Speaker 2: (03:03)

They did. And you can see these works during the opening reception for both exhibitions on Saturday from five to eight or during best practices, open gallery hours. They're located at bread and salt and Logan Heights. And they're open Tuesday, you through Sunday from 11 to four, and there's a lot to see at BRNs salt this weekend. So it is worth popping in Roman de salvo has just reinstalled his 2019 tree sculpture that was originally constructed inside the Timkin and the San Diego art price show is also closing this weekend. So it's your last chance to see that on Saturday also, Maggie, she is doing a performance hier edible installation called scape, but definitely check out those best practice exhibitions.

Speaker 1: (03:49)

That's Mexico based artists, Maio Munos and Andrew Roberts on view at best practice from Saturday through February 12th, let's stay with visual art up in Oceanside. There is a new exhibition of photography by Tijuana based artist. Andres Hernandez. Tell us about

Speaker 2: (04:05)

This. Yeah, this is called crying on the blue line trolley, and it is such an evocative idea. It's analog photography, some collage and some poetry and video works as well. All based around the landscapes and the arch are at this route between her home in Tijuana and in San Diego using public transit. There's a lot of bridges there's overpasses, but also the natural boundaries too, like the estuaries and the fields. And this is all really intimate and vulnerable work to. You can view it at hill street country club at an afternoon, reception on Saturday from one to four masks are required and they're only letting in groups six at a time for short 15 minute viewings. So after that, it's viewable by appointment and you can easily make a reservation for that online

Speaker 1: (04:55)

That's Andre's Hernandez, solo exhibition at the hill street country club, which will be open Saturday through February 28th. Now for some music, the sound on festival turns for their 14th year with surreal reality. What can we expect?

Speaker 2: (05:08)

Yeah, this is a joint venture of San Diego, new music and the Athena music and arts library. It kicks off last night and has performances tonight and Saturday night. And each show features a pretty broad range of what's considered new music compositions, including the winning selections from sound on's call for scores from 2020, it's all performed by the ensemble in residents that standing on new music, that's called noise conducted by Robert Zeman. There's flu cello, percussion, piano, and guitar, and looking at Saturday evening's performance in particular, I'm drawn to this brand new work for electric guitar. That sounds like it's for a full orchestra. This is by Anthony tan called revealing the divide Masks are required and the Athenas Jacob's music room in LA Jolla will only be at 70% CAPA or less. And if you can't make the show, I've put a few streaming links in the article where you can listen to more of the tan composition and some of the other works in the program on your own time. The

Speaker 1: (06:29)

Sound on festival has concerts tonight and Saturday at 7:30 PM. And one more music event, Liz salon day music performs a concert Sunday afternoon at the LA JOA women's club. Tell us about this.

Speaker 2: (06:42)

Yeah, let's start with listening to Mozart's piano quartet in E flat major,

Speaker 2: (07:02)

And this is a beautiful work it's for piano quartet. So for piano and three strings, and this was a form that Mozart was particularly good at. He kind of spearheaded the popularity of the, of the form, the piano quartet, and lace Andies. The is a chamber performance group. That's new in town, just this last year and their structures intimate. There's no stages. And the concerts are kicked off with a musicologist talk. This one will be new VI meta, who you may have heard at the symphony as well. They'll play them outside as well as works by Rossini and Beethoven. They usually also have a champagne reception, but due to the current COVID surge, they're creating these fancy little take home snack boxes. That way guests will be able to keep their masks on the entire time at the performance LA

Speaker 1: (07:52)

And LDE mus takes place Sunday at 4:00 PM at the LA Jolla woman's club, given the uncertainty of the, the current COVID surge and the possibility of event cancellations. Be sure to check with event organizers before attending for details on these and more arts events or to sign up for Julia's weekly KPBS arts newsletter, go to kpbs.org/arts. I've been speaking with KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans. Julia, thank

Speaker 2: (08:19)

You. Thanks so much, Jade. Have a good weekend. You too.