Camilo Ontiveros and Javier Tapia: Liquid Light

The Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College presents Liquid Light. In their latest exhibition and collaborative research project, artists Camilo Ontiveros and Javier Tapia trace the movement of water across the United States and Mexico to raise poignant questions about water scarcity, climate change, and human disruptions to local ecologies.

The title Liquid Light sums up the collaboration between the artists as a poetic phrase, chosen because water is the protagonist of the film, both in abundance and in shortage. The exhibition is anchored by a newly-commissioned film that documents the life and pathway of the Colorado River, tracing its flow across numerous locales from the top of the Rocky Mountains down towards the southern border at the Sea of Cortez. By following the path of this river, the artists recognize both the beauty and necessity of water while also marking the ways in which it can be monetized, contaminated, and politicized. The exhibition offers an immersive gallery experience, utilizing multi-channel video and sound to foster generative dialogues and new ways of understanding the goepolitics of the natural landscape.

“Liquid Light invites us to connect with the southwestern landscape in a new and visceral way,” said Steven Wong, the Director of the Vincent Price Art Museum. “My hope is that the exhibition encourages conversations among students, faculty members, and the wider community about climate change—its impact for us and future generations and those disproportionately affected by the crises.”

“It is important to share this story because we are living in the mindst of a climate crisis where water scarcity will become more and more of an everyday issue,” said Ontiveros. “It is important too that this story gets told in many ways-not simply as informational facts and figures but also in ways that invite different modes of reflection and experience.”

About the artists
Camilo Ontiveros (b. 1978) is a multidisciplinary artist who works with installations, sculpture, video, photography, sound, text, and intervention to explore complex issues as they intersect with US-Mexico relations. Born in Rosario, Sinaloa, México, Ontiveros immigrated to Southern California in 1992, the same year that bilateral discussions between the United States and Mexico concerning the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) were completed. He situates his practice within this history, often examining borders and the effects of neoliberal economic policy on the land, resources, and people of the Global South.

Javier Tapia (b. 1976) is a Chilean artist, based in Denmark. Tapia grew up in Chile, where he studied Visual arts at PUC. After finishing his degree, he pursued advanced studies in art theory at the University of Barcelona and at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark. He continues to live and work in Copenhagen and has exhibited his work internationally.

Exhibition credits
The exhibition is organized by the Vincent Price Art Museum. The film is produced in collaboration with Ruben Diaz, Steve Rioux and Nicolás García, whom the artists would also like to thank for their valuable contributions to the installation. Liquid Light is generously supported by the Ford Foundation, The Danish Arts Council and Grosserer L. F. Foghts Fond.

Visitor information
Admission to the Vincent Price Art Museum is free. Visitors must check‐in the day of their visit utilizing the LACCD COVID‐19 assessment form. Please check vpam.org for updated information.

Contact information
Vincent Price Art Museum, info [​at​] vpam.org, T 323 265 8841