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Border Cantos | Sonic Borders is a collaboration between American photographer Richard Misrach and Mexican-American artist and composer Guillermo Galindo that explores the complexities of the southern border through photography, sculpture, and sound, inviting us to bridge boundaries and initiate important conversations. The exhibition humanizes the Mexican-American border, inviting visitors to engage with the complex—and often misunderstood—experiences of those seeking a better life in the United States.
Both artists address fraught topics touching on politics, the environment, and humanitarian issues. Misrach is well-known for his expansive images focusing on the ways humans interact with and impact the natural world, while Galindo is inspired by the Mesoamerican belief that one can bring out the spiritual essence of an object's past. Galindo's 260-minute composition Sonic Borders, which can be heard playing within the gallery, employs eight musical instruments the artist created from objects discarded near the border.
Together the photographs, objects, and sonic composition introduce distinct yet interrelated ways of experiencing the human consequences of immigration policies. By offering evidence of those who have journeyed through the borderlands in pursuit of their hopes and dreams, Misrach and Galindo encourage empathy for the plight of migrants everywhere. Border Cantos | Sonic Borders offers the Quad Cities community a vital opportunity to come together with empathy, understanding, and connection.
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Our Sponsors
Premier Sponsor: Art Bridges
Contributing sponsor: Tom and Brooke Terronez
Companion Events
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Thursday, February 17Figge Art MuseumFigge members are invited to mingle with artist Guillermo Galindo whose work is featured in Border Cantos | Sonic Borders. Mingle with wine and light appetizers in the Figge Café prior to his pubic performance in the John Deere Auditorium at 6:30. -
Thursday, February 17Figge Art MuseumJoin artist Guillermo Galindo for an in person performance and talk in conjunction with the opening of Border Cantos | Sonic Border. Galindo is a Mexican composer, sound artist, visual artist, and performer.
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Thursday, March 24VirtualArtist Richard Misrach, one of the most influential photographers of his generation, will give a virtual talk about his work that is featured in Border Cantos | Sonic Borders on view at the Figge Art Museum.
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Sunday, May 15Figge Art MuseumJoin us for a day of family fun related to Border Cantos | Sonic Borders on the Figge's Bechtel Plaza and throughout the museum. Free admission all day with scheduled activities from noon-3 p.m.
Sunday April 14th