Materializing la Venespora
Build what we hate. Destroy what we love. exhibition, photo by Samoel González, courtesy of apexart.
Imagine a deserted New York City with the echoes of eight million footsteps. These are the traces left by the Venezuelans who embarked on migratory odysseys from Venezuela’s borders to the Caribbean, across the rest of Abya Yala, and toward the Global North, seeking dreams that power-hungry forces and a horde of corruption and dehumanization snatched away. The tangible remnants of these journeys materialize as abandoned artifacts—vestiges of a once-cherished home—and markers of new political, existential, and geographical frontiers painted in faded yellow, blue, and red hues. A nation/state without its people and culture is an arid landscape where only the aspirations of a few flourish.
Build what we hate. Destroy what we love, an apexart open call exhibition curated by Fabiola R. Delgado, immerses visitors in the intricate narrative of forced pilgrimage. R. Delgado explains that the title reflects circumstances that give rise to hegemonic realities and sustain them. "The exhibition's title encapsulates a paradoxical dynamic, illustrating the interplay between the creation and dismantling of detrimental systems," R. Delgado says.
“Build what we hate. Destroy what we love... immerses visitors in the intricate narrative of forced pilgrimage.”
The exhibition utilizes material culture and objects that were once integral to Venezuelans' daily lives, now transformed into monuments that echo the collective memory of a lost home and the resilient pursuit of a new one abroad. This narrative invites spectators to witness tangible manifestations not only of displacement but also of the corrupt practices that persistently drive Venezuelans to emigrate. As cherished artifacts evolve into monuments of loss and resilience, they serve as reminders of the ongoing struggle. They embody the complexities of immigrants’ reality and the enduring spirit of survival.
Cassandra Mayela, Healing Color, 2023, Collected and woven clothing, 48 x 45 in, photo courtesy of apexart
apexart's biannual open call—coupled with the participation of an international jury who collectively decides the gallery’s programming—becomes a conduit for this migratory commentary, and R. Delgado, in her insightful curation, invites three artists to review the often overlooked stories about their homeland’s exodus, reconstructing journeys visually and conceptually. In Build what we hate. Destroy what we love. we witness the culmination of a yearlong deep collaboration among R. Delgado and artists Ronald Pizzoferrato, Cassandra Mayela, and Juan Diego Pérez la Cruz. This period of mutual engagement blurs the lines between curatorial work and artistic creativity, resulting in a rich and harmonious exhibition that reflects the collective synergy of their creative endeavors.
The exhibition unfurls with a purposeful trajectory, beginning with Ronald Pizzoferrato's "El tiempo que ha pasado." This four-minute video delves into the challenging journey from Venezuela to Ciudad Juárez along a migratory route heading north—an experience the artist personally undertook. Through brief interviews, netnographic content, and personal recordings, the piece encourages contemplation on the drivers behind this mass movement, the challenges faced during these perilous treks, and the emergence of solidarity networks along the way. Concurrently, it prompts a reconsideration of material culture as Venezuelan traditions evolve in these transitional spaces, shifting from the conventional to essential survival items that now define the reality for a significant portion of Venezuela's population. Accompanying this documentary are three life-size printed photographs, each depicting anonymous individuals obscured by the objects crucial to their migration process, such as blankets, backpacks, and mats.
Additionally, viewers encounter a book adorned with a reflective cover titled Migrant Memorabilia, inviting them to literally see themselves and engage with a thoughtfully curated collection of objects that R. Delgado and Pizzoferrato sourced from along the migration route. This offers a glimpse into the lived experiences of migrants. Pizzoferrato's work compels us to think about how this transformative shift may reshape future perceptions of Venezuelan culture on a global scale.
Ronald Pizzoferrato, Las Morochas, 2019; Familia, 2021; El Colchón, 2019 (left). Cassandra Mayela, Balanced Contrast, 2023 (right). Photo courtesy of apexart.
As we journey through the gallery, Cassandra Mayela's textile installation unfolds, transforming donated clothing items from Venezuelan migrants into poignant tributes of resistance, symbols of triumphant escapes, and moving recollections. Each piece, crafted from these donated items and accompanied by written testimonies from select donors, intricately weaves together disparate artifacts, creating a cohesive and collaborative work that resonates with a sense of unity.
According to R. Delgado, seemingly contrasting yet interconnected narratives transcend individual experiences to form a collective tapestry of resilience. “Writing these letters is therapeutic for them and gives them an outlet to share their experiences,” R. Delgado says in Spanish. “They are presented alongside Cassandra’s pieces and form part of the artist’s archive. It was a process of careful selection and translation, a search for the multiple realities that exist.”
With eight texts, presented in both Spanish and English, the letters encapsulate the multifaceted nature of their experiences. For example, Nathalia Álvarez writes, “It’s a garment I inherited from my older sister, who also left Venezuela. It was one of the items I brought with me when I emigrated. It no longer fits me, but I feel like it’s part of me.” Meanwhile, José Jesús Hernández Contreras notes, “In a gift exchange in 1977, a colleague gave it to me. It has traveled with me to Miami and Washington. It gets heavier and heavier each day.”
The lyrical collages of Juan Diego Pérez la Cruz further enrich the exhibition's story arch by reclaiming verses from different anthems representing the various regions of Venezuela. This poetic practice dismantles traditional notions of patriotism, integrating diverse perspectives in an effort to craft a more nuanced national identity and serving as a soothing balm for wounds passed down through generations.
The exhibition reaches its crescendo with Pérez la Cruz's installation, titled Lagunas mentales, which contemplates the possibilities of dissecting and reconstructing individual and collective memories. The installation comprises a nine-channel video piece enveloping the dedicated room in a vibrant red hue. Each screen displays a photograph, evoking memories that once existed but now only linger as remnants of the past. Lagunas mentales prompts us to contemplate how seemingly ordinary objects from diverse spaces, individuals, and communities serve as conduits for the past, present, and potential futures of those who have lost material memories.
Juan Diego Pérez la Cruz, Lagunas mentales, 2023, nine-channel video installation, 3.5 minutes, photo courtesy of apexart.
Build what we hate. Destroy what we love. sheds light on themes of corruption, forced migration, and the pursuit of a dignified life. The exhibition offers an intimate look at the materialization of memories embodied by Venezuelans and the rapidly growing Venespora, prompting a reevaluation of our understanding of borders and our relationship with the power structures that sustain migration crises. The true crisis lies not only in migration itself but in the underlying factors—conflict, economic instability, environmental degradation, or persecution—that drive entire communities to seek refuge and opportunity elsewhere. The urgency of solidarity with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters underscores the imperative for dialogue to mend the wounds of migration over time.
We can disrupt the cycles that perpetuate suffering by reflecting on how our daily actions could counter ongoing corruption. This exhibition urges action and offers a thoughtful examination of the underlying causes of forced migration, along with the significant physical and emotional tolls these circumstances impose on individuals, communities, and nations.
Build what we hate. Destroy what we love. is on view at apexart—291 Church St, New York, NY 10013—until March 9, 2024. You can also explore the space digitally here.
Patricia Encarnación (she/they) is an Afro-Dominican interdisciplinary artist and scholar. Their work challenges colonial tropes in Caribbean culture through an anti-colonial lens. Encarnación has participated in residencies, including Smack Mellon and Silver Art Projects at WTC, and has been recognized at the NALAC Fund for the Arts, El Centro Leon Jiménez Biennial, and Tribeca Artists Award Program. They've exhibited at Documenta 15th, WPA, MOLAA, and the NADA art fair while engaging in curatorial practices at Centro de la Imagen CDMX and Bronx Museum venues.