Borderlandia: Glass Installation by Einar and Jamex de la Torre
During a particularly contentious time in the Southwest, Einar and Jamex de la Torre wryly, yet pertinently address the dialectic of cultural plurality, identity politics, popular culture, religion, and geopolitics. Their medium is one that is steeped in the European tradition of Italian glassblowing mixed with the vernacular of the utilitarian glassware of Mexico—beauty and functionality comingling like the hybrid structure of their message.
What makes their work so compelling on a formal level is the vibrancy of their forms, the explosive visual impact of their color combination, and the seductive nature of the shiny, slick surface of glass. Yet equally riveting in their beautifully expressive works is their message. At once humorous and confrontational, their satirical sculptures and installations expose stereotyping, historic revisionism, and a popular culture obsessed with consumerism. The work also celebrates the unique symbols and images of mestizaje (term for racial and cultural mixing) and the political ideology of modern national identity, unity, and social progress.
