Transverse Waves with Archivo Familiar del Río Colorado

This virtual event explores how the waters that demarcate the border between Mexico and the United States are operationalized. Archivo Familiar del Río Colorado will present their ongoing research on the binational Colorado River Delta as it relates to their installation “¿Qué cementerio es este?”. Collaborating with collective member Mauricio Villa and poet Antonio León, Archivo reflects on the “yonke,” or junkyard, gathering an assemblage of living records in the form of anecdotes, memories and ephemera of a region that is becoming increasingly desertified.

This event will be held primarily in Spanish and English with live translations available.

Transverse Waves, is a series of events in conjunction with our current exhibition Humid Traces, curated by Federico Pérez Villoro. The public program will continue to explore how waterways are forced to perform as borders. Considering the ripple effects on water surfaces when one throws a stone onto a lake, the program is organized around the affective circles that surround the artists included in the exhibition. It is a space to consider how artistic research can actively fortify networks of solidarity and strengthen ongoing dialogues and collaborations.

Image: Archivo Familiar del Río Colorado. ¿Qué cementerio es este?, 2026. Courtesy of the Artists.

About the Artists

Archivo Familiar del Río Colorado is a collaborative project that explores the relationships between people, ecosystems, settlements, and water in the Colorado River Delta, a binational region shaped by large-scale water diversion infrastructure and ongoing processes of environmental transformation. The project works through teams and project-based collaborations, including educational programs, exhibitions, publications, and fieldwork. It is coordinated by Mexicali-based artist and researcher Jessica Sevilla and brings together an evolving network of collaborators, including Mayté Miranda, María Torres, Enero y Abril, Farrah Karapetian, Minoru Kiyota, and Mauricio Villa. The project has also been enriched through past collaborations with Rosela del Bosque, Leslie García, and other local citizen groups, projects, and artists interested in the region’s environment and memory.

This event will take place on Zoom. The access details will be sent to you via a reminder email 24 hours in advance of the event.