For better or worse, Baja California is a borderland, but not just a passing one. Although Tijuana has the most trafficked border in the world, it is a state whose permanent hallmark is precisely its diversity.
Playas de Rosarito is one of the seven municipalities in Baja California, and while all have the hospitality characteristic of the region's people, Rosarito also offers a peaceful place that has become a favorite for hundreds of people who chose it as their retirement spot after a lifetime of work in the United States.
“One of the characteristics of the entire Rosarito community, and not just the artistic one, is multiculturalism. Artists here come from other parts of the country and other countries.
“There are artists from Cuba, Argentina, and, of course, many artists from the United States who have decided to make Playas de Rosarito their home,” explains Benito del Águila, director of Rosarito Artwalk, in an interview with El Heraldo de México. A Kaleidoscope Full of Talent.
It is said that you have to observe the people of Baja California closely to distinguish them. Only then can you tell the exuberance of the Tijuana native from the shyness of someone from Ensenada, or the frankness of someone from Mexicali from the cheerful confidence of a Rosarito resident. The same goes for art.
“Unlike other places in Mexico, where you see the color and theme and immediately know 'ah, this is from such and such a place,' for example, Oaxaca. Here, no, here there are really many techniques, many styles, many individual styles.
“It’s a very developed language, very different from each and every one of the artists. So, I think that’s what distinguishes this particular community,” explains Del Águila.
The Tierras Únicas: Identidades de Baja California exhibition, housed in the International Gallery of the Centro de las Artes de Rosarito, is a great opportunity to get close to these languages through the works of 58 artists, some of whom have exhibited in museums like the Louvre in Paris.
There, with themes ranging from Tijuana's famous zebra-striped donkey to the UFOs rumored to fly over the La Rumorosa area, Baja Californian creators showcase their inexhaustible talent.
Tierras Únicas: Identidades de Baja California is now available at the Centro de las Artes de Rosarito, and you can visit it from Monday to Friday between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Admission is free.
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