Cog•nate Collective, 'Tianquiztli: Portraits of the Market as Portal'
Visual art
Cog•nate Collective’s new exhibition at ICA San Diego's North campus in Encinitas is part of an ongoing body of work for the artist duo. "Portraits of the Market as Portal" explores street markets, cross-border communities and the commerce of objects.
Tianquiztli is the indigenous Aztec/Mexica origin of "tianguis," the open-air markets found in Mexico. But Cog•nate Collective wanted to also link their work to another use of the term Tianquiztli, the Pleiades constellation.
Cog•nate Collective is a long-running collaboration between artists Misael Diaz and Amy Sanchez Arteaga, who were recipients of the 2022 San Diego Art Prize. Their work is also currently still on view at the Art Prize exhibition at the Central Library Art Gallery.
Following an artist talk at 6:30 p.m., music will be provided by youth producer/artist Armaan Damani.
Details: On view through Jan. 29, 2023. Reception and artist talk 5:30-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego: North Campus, 1550 S El Camino Real, Encinitas. Free.
LITVAKdance Fall 2022 Performance
Dance
San Diego contemporary dance company LITVAKdance performs five works by different choreographers for their fall concert.
The pieces are: Issa Hourani's "all i left you," which is informed by Hourani's Middle Eastern and Mexican roots, and the social and religious rituals and practices of Middle Eastern culture; Ronen Izhaki of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance will be premiering a new piece, "Each Grain of Rice," which is about how everyone's story is their own; and Rebecca Margolick's work, "Bayit," weaves Yiddish folk dance with contemporary movement.
WHYTEBERG (Gracie Whyte and Laura Berg) is an LA-based performance duo. "I hear everybody you know is more relevant than everybody I know" is an amazing title, and this work premiered earlier this year with LITVAKdance's "Dancing Outdoors" program. And LITVAK founder Sadie Weinberg's piece "We Find Home," which was first performed at LITVAK's debut in 2018, is about the longing for home.
The performances will feature live musical accompaniment from Kristopher Apple, Pete Polansky and Joe McNalley.
Note: The 5 p.m. Sunday performance is mask-required. For other performances, masks are optional.
Details: 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19; and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. San Dieguito Academy, 800 Santa Fe Dr., Encinitas. $15-$25.
Bocón Arts: 'Mía: All Mine'
Theater
Local theater organization Bocón Arts was founded in 2013 to bring collaborative works from diverse voices, for all ages, to the stage.
"Mía: All Mine" is a bilingual play, written in Spanish by Amaranta Leyva and translated into English by Carmen Rivera — part of a binational translation residency at the since-shuttered Lark Play Development Center.
The play follows an 8-year-old girl, Mía (played by Vanessa Flores Cabrera), struggling with the trauma of domestic abuse. It's a troubling story, but told in a way that is accessible — but not watered down — for younger audiences and families. "Don’t be afraid moms, dads. Sit down with your children and see Mía," urges the company. It's directed by Daniel Jáquez of TuYo Theatre, and this is the United States premiere.
Details: On stage through Nov. 20, 2022. The remaining Spanish-language shows are 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18; 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19; and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20. Remaining English-language shows are 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20. Woodbury University School of Architecture, 2212 Main St., Barrio Logan. $10-$20.
A Journey in the Folk and Traditional Music of Iran
Music
UC San Diego's music department is host to a performance from Persian wind instrument musician Khosrow Soltani and Iranian percussionist Mohammad Ghavihelm. The instrumentalists — who have played together since youth — will explore folk music from Iran using traditional instruments.
This performance is held at UCSD's Conrad Prebys Music Center in the Experimental Theater. The building is convenient to both the Blue Line Trolley and the Gilman Parking Structure, which has pay stations ($2 per hour on weekends). The concert is free for UCSD students, faculty and staff.
Details: 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Conrad Prebys Music Center, 9500 Gilman Dr., UC San Diego. $0-$25.
Payare leads 'Brahms' Symphony No. 1'
Music
Brahms' "Symphony No. 1" is a dramatic work with an especially lovely and emotive second movement. Pianist Marc-André Hamelin will join the Symphony on Franz Liszt's mesmerizing "Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major."
They'll open the concert with Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," which is one of my favorite pieces — slow and moody, with an incredibly drawn-out, sweeping build-up.
Rafael Payare will conduct the San Diego Symphony in two performances at two different venues this weekend, one indoors and one outdoors.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at The Shell (222 Marina Park Way, downtown, $25-$108), and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 at California Center for the Arts, Escondido (340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, $25-$70).
More weekend arts events we're covering
Check out KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando's look at the La Jolla Playhouse production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" here. I personally rewound and rewatched the paper doll cut-out explainer segment multiple times. This weekend's performances are 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. On stage through Dec. 11.
"Pop Smoke: A Veteran Art Exhibition" curator Amber Zora joined KPBS Midday Edition last week to discuss the exhibition, veterans art and more. You can listen to the interview here. Oceanside Museum of Art is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with extended hours until 8 p.m. Friday. On view through Jan. 15, 2023.
For more arts events or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar here. You can also check out our special Winter Holidays listings here. And be sure to sign up for my weekly KPBS/Arts newsletter here.
