'It Came from Beyond the Border' at Branigan Cultural Center

It Came from Beyond the Border,an exhibit featuring work by El Paso artist Angel Cabrales that challenges current U.S. immigration policies, will open July 10 at the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., in Downtown Las Cruces.
The exhibit opens on Wednesday, July 10, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. An opening reception with the artist in attendance is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on July 10.
Angel Cabrales' artwork embraces the artistry of 1950's science fiction B-movie posters and futuristic art to create powerful pieces that confront and comment on immigration policies in the United States.

Cabrales created his ongoing "Tequila Sci-Fi Series" starting in 2016 in response to the increased hostility toward immigrants and asylum seekers along the U.S./Mexico border. Seeing a parallel between 1950s' fear of nuclear mutants threatening America, and contemporary fears of America being overwhelmed by immigrants, Cabrales exaggerates these concerns using pop culture imagery.

By using these familiar graphics in a new way, Cabrales engages audiences with familiar references that are then turned on their head once viewers realize their true message.

"I examine the dehumanization of people through the politicization, marketing, and spin that we are subjected to in our everyday lives by an exploiting commercialism, and by placing issues in an appetizing, yet disturbingly consumable form," said Cabrales in describing his artwork.

The opening reception, from 5-7 p.m. on July 10, will include an Artist Gallery Talk starting at 5:30 p.m. An Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, July 13 and a Spoken Word Open Mic is scheduled for Saturday, August 17. More detailed information will be available as the events near.

Cabrales is a Borderlands multimedia artist who has taken the engineering background of his father and political activism of his mother to produce artwork that embraces social/political commentary with an engineering flare. His artwork is exhibited widely in the United States and Mexico. He is active in regional and national arts groups and is head of the EASSI (Engineering + Art + Science = Social Impact) team that works on community-engaged projects involving the arts and sciences in the Borderland. Cabrales is an Associate Professor in Sculpture at the University of Texas, El Paso. He received his BFA from Arizona State University and MFA from the University of North Texas.

The Branigan Cultural Center is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free. For more information, call (575) 541-2154.