Aug 6, 20212 min read

Intergalactix at LACE

This article was originally published July 28th. It has been rewritten and is followed by a note from the writer.

Detail of The Fire Theory installation, Dream Team by Crack Rodriguez, 2020-2021. Intergalactix:against isolation/contra el aislamiento, LACE. Courtesy of collaborators and artists. Photo by yubo at OfStudio.

The Coalition of Intergalactix at LACE

LACE Contemporary, Los angeles through August 14

Written by Sydney Walters By circulating around the language, origin, and concepts of borders, the Intergalactix collective considers human erasure and isolation. Intergalactix: against isolation/contra el aislamiento boldly counters this mill of isolation, culminating in fellowship and a community rich in scholarship, history and rebellion.

Near the entrance of the gallery, Kaqjay Moloj, FIEBRE ediciones, and Beatriz Cortez capture our attention with a time machine. The floor is strewn with dried foliage and sculptures nestled in woven baskets. A paper portal on the wall suggests a psychic bending of time.

This time warp continues in the main gallery which showcases an extension of the global initiative of border exploration. The thirst to connect present families and ancestral memory infuses each object, building a bridge towards a united future. Border survival packs, a glass and fabric bodysuit, clay shrines, mangled soccer and basketball hoops, and other video and media installations nourish this profound experiment.

The gallery ends in a staged classroom complete with a table, chairs, books, and a blackboard. It is a classroom preaching the borderless body and the interconnectedness of humanity. On the walls are lessons and photographs including a circular sign reading: “A data-processing body becomes deletable when the body is processed as data.” Altogether, Intergalactix is an utter trove of archives and research. Journeying through this exhibit suggests that change, realization, and self-actualization begins with educating an open mind and that community will guide you along the way.

A note from the writer: After receiving feedback from an artist and curator of Intergalatix, I wanted to take another, more conscientious approach to review this exhibit. As for my previous submission, I want to acknowledge that my association of Catholic rituals within the article did not consider the extensive history of violence Catholics and Christians perpetrated toward Indigenous peoples. Furthermore, I did not recognize the derogatory connotations of the term “prehistoric” when writing. I am thankful for their willingness to dialogue with me and challenge my own artistic lens. I also want to apologize for misspelling one of the artist’s names and mislabeling an image accreditation. What you are reading is an amended text written in the spirit of learning and improving together.

LACE Contemporary 6522 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, 90028