An Art Frontier

“Tijuana is a fascinating city – it's full of contradictions and complexities,” says Elsa Longhauser, director of the Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMoA). “It's known very stereotypically, and yet when you get there, there's a whole other sense of life.”

That other sense of life – existing parallel to a tourist industry driven by bargain shopping and all-night boozing, a city that novelist Heriberto Yépez has described as a “nightmare of fun, a workaholic weekend” – is one in which the city's frenetic social, political, and economic environment has spawned astonishing creativity in contemporary visual arts and architecture. See for yourself as SMMoA presents Strange New World: Art and Design from Tijuana/Extraño Nuevo Mundo: Arte Y Deseño Desde Tijuana, opening Friday night.

The show is culled from an exhibition last summer at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), curated by Rachel Teagle. For some time, Longhauser had been developing an interest in artworks from that region, so she partnered with MCASD to bring a portion of the show here. “Los Angeles is so close to Tijuana, yet often people are unfamiliar with it. I wanted to give a sampling of the arts there.”

Whereas both historical and contemporary components comprised the San Diego exhibition, SMMoA will house only 50 of the contemporary works, some of which will be adapted to the Santa Monica site. Twenty artists – including fine artists, architects, designers, and filmmakers – will be represented, among them photographer Yvonne Venegas, architect Teddy Cruz, and installation artist Marcos Ramirez ERRE.

A diverse set of public programs organized by journalist and USC Annenberg School professor Josh Kun – currently writing a book about the popular culture of Tijuana and the U.S.-Mexico border – will run in conjunction at the museum. Among them are a discussion with architect René Peralta about Tijuana's vernacular building style (Feb. 2), and a screening of the “experimental documentary” Maquilapolis: City of Factories by filmmaker Vicky Funari and artist Sergio De La Torre (Feb. 23).

“Tijuana has never had its own art schools or art criticism community. The artists here are able to manifest their ideas with found materials, limited resources, and an improv aesthetic, and yet put them together in a way that reflects their true creative gifts through profound works of art,” Longhauser enthuses. “It's absolutely inspiring.”

–Rebecca Epstein

Strange New World: Art and Design from Tijuana/Extraño Nuevo Mundo: Arte Y Deseño Desde Tijuana. SMMoA, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., bldg. G1, Santa Monica, (310) 586-6488. Opening reception Fri., 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Closes Apr. 7. Suggested donation $5; $3 students, seniors; opening is free. Smmoa.org.

THIS WEEK IN THE CITY

Thursday 11

Tonight, consider two films featuring women whose work involves fantasy, social behavior, and odd humor. In Westwood, artist and multiple subculture-adapter Nikki S. Lee celebrates the West Coast premiere of her first film, a.k.a. Nikki S. Lee, which documents recent events from her life, with many contrived for the camera but indistinguishably so (Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310-443-7000; Hammer.ucla.edu; 7 p.m.; free). Meanwhile, in Hollywood, Mary Poppins returns in the Sing-A-Long version of the 1964 Disney film, digitally restored and remastered, with lyrics on the screen to help you out. Opening this three-week run, Richard Sherman, who wrote the film's songs with brother Robert, will provide tonight's introduction (El Capitan, 6838 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 800-347-6396; 6:30 p.m.; $9-$20). Poppins will be there, too.

Friday 12

If the current nostalgia for '80s pop has you begging for mercy, remember the '90s must inevitably follow. Indeed, the next era of decade-based dance nights has arrived, in the form of “Tubthump,” starting tonight in the Key Club's Plush Lounge and reemerging the second Friday of each month. All you freaks and geeks and friends can now delight as you return to the not-so-distant era that brought us hip-hop (Tupac), grunge (Nirvana), pop (En Vogue), hair-band reunions (Mötley Crüe), and rock that didn't (Hootie and the Blowfish, Spin Doctors, Dave Matthews Band). Corey Moss of MTV News cofounded this tribute to a time when the economy was strong and the music was all that and also that. 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m. No cover. Dinner menu available. Key Club, 9039 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywod, (310) 559-5000. Myspace.com/tubthump.

Saturday 13

Is music dating back to the beginning of the 20th century more your speed? Brazilian samba legend Carlinhos Pandiero de Ouro (Carlos de Oliviera) will speed it up a-plenty during a free concert tonight at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. Part of “Artnight at 18th Street,” a quarterly event at the center, the evening's entertainment includes a group exhibition, The Book of Lies, curated by veteran L.A. conceptual artist Eugenia Butler; the photo installation Toccata by visual artist Joe Biel; and a chance to peek into the studios of artists-in-residence from around the world. Among them: Jesper Alvaer (Prague), Starlei Geikie (Melbourne), Su Shu-Mei (Taipei), and Zara Kreigstein (Santa Fe). 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m. Free. 1639 18th St., Santa Monica. Info: (310) 453-3711.

Sunday 14

Fullerton homegirl and opera diva Deborah Voigt returns to the L.A. stage tonight following six years of acclaimed international performances and one gastric bypass surgery. Yep, the fat lady sings even better when slimmer, apparently – The New York Times recently called her “arguably the leading dramatic soprano singing today [with] a gleaming voice that easily soars over the largest Wagnerian orchestra.” With optimal physical and vocal strength, Voigt will perform a one-night-only recital featuring rarely heard art songs by Verdi, Strauss, and Respighi, as well as one of Mozart's final, little-known works, and American lieder by Amy Beach and Leonard Bernstein. Brian Zeger accompanies on the piano. 7:30 p.m.; pre-performance lecture at 6:30 p.m. $25-$100. Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A., (213) 872-8001. Laopera.com.

Monday 15

KING CALL

In its ongoing efforts to prove that there will be no peace without justice, today the nonprofit Westside Coalition hosts its annual Martin Luther King Day commemorative event, considered one of the largest and most diverse in Southern California. The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Atlanta's Morehouse College, is the keynote speaker for this multi-ethnic, interfaith program, also set to include readings, music, and a scholarship presentation. And you'll go home humming after listening to the Santa Monica Symphony close the celebration with traditional spirituals, William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony, and Aaron Copland's “Old American Songs.” 9 a.m.; concert at 2:30 p.m. Free. World Culture Auditorium, 525 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. Info: (310) 434-4003 or Smc.edu.

Tuesday 16

DAHLIA DOINGS

From Thursday through today, art, film, music, and meanderings mark the 60th anniversary of L.A.'s notorious Black Dahlia murder. Believe it, kids: 60 years ago yesterday, aspiring actress Elizabeth Short became more famous in death than in life, her mutilated body found in Leimert Park after she'd been missing for a week (a.k.a. “the missing week”). You won't want to miss a minute of this blotter of commemorative events, including the group exhibition Her Name Was Elizabeth at Regent Galleries, the burlesque- and vaudeville-based Requiem for a Dahlia: A Macabre Cabaret on Monday at Hollywood's 3 of Clubs, and, today, a VIP Black Dahlia crime bus tour hosted by the 1947 Project; and the premiere of Ramzi Abed's Black Dahlia Movie at Laemmle's Grand 4-Plex downtown. Times and prices vary. Info: Myspace.com/thelostweekendlosangeles.

Wednesday 17

Remember Masters of American Comics? Now another show features a group of masters, but one in which the title applies to both sexes. The Long Beach Museum of Art presents Painting with Fire: Masters of Enameling in America, 1930-1980, the first major museum exhibition of its kind in more than 40 years (opening Jan. 12). Mildred Watkins, Ruth Raemisch, Doris Hall, Jade Snow, and June Schwarcz are among those represented in this shining survey of the medium, which involves fusing glass and metal at hell-fire temps (how's 1,500 degrees for ya?). But what will really amaze you is the range of functional and decorative applications on display. Closes Aug. 19. Tue.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $7; $6 students and seniors; kids under 12 free. 2300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, (562) 439-2119. Lbma.org.