Curated by Paul Clay

At CUCHIFRITOS art gallery/project space.

Cargo Cult acknowledges the huge influx of people of Mexican heritage which is now occurring in and around New York City, and the way the Lower East Side has traditionally served as a haven for new arrivals into the city.

People bring with them the physical objects of their own culture, but also generations worth of traditions, unspoken beliefs and deeply held outlooks, worldviews, and lifeways - a kind of cultural cargo.

This two person show works with the anthropological notion of cargo cults, where people of one society import the qualities of another society, but within their own context of rules and beliefs. Cargo cults also often involve sacred practices which incorporate contemporary consumer goods, or objects. The show involves one artist from Mexico and one artist from the USA, each exploring meanings hidden in contemporary products, while working in materials or themes from opposite sides of the border.

This exhibit was made possible by the following: LMCC's Fund For Creative Communities/NYSCA, The New York City Economic Development Corporation, The Puffin Foundation, the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, and the members of the Artists Alliance Incorporated.