Open Call for Participation: A Collaborative Performance Art Project Project Title: P.O. Box 391106 /  by jimena Bermejo

P.O. Box 391106

Submission Deadline: January 25th, 2025 

Project Overview:

 

I invite individuals from all walks of life to participate in a collaborative performance art piece.

Drawing from my experiences as both an educator and a perpetual student, this project seeks to capture the excitement and discovery inherent in creative assignments. It’s also an homage to the playful, interactive tradition of mail art.

 

Participants are invited to submit instructions for performance actions via snail mail. This project not only opens the door for a variety of ideas to emerge from unexpected sources but also underscores the value of community in the creative process. By reaching out to any and all collaborators in this egalitarian fashion, it provides a platform for voices that might otherwise go unheard, fostering a collective artistic journey that transcends individual boundaries.

 

How to Participate:

  • Send Your Instructions: Write, draw, or provide directions for a performance action on a piece of paper no bigger than letter size (8.5 X 11)

  • Mail It: Send your paper to the following PO Box address:

Jimena G Bermejo

PO Box 391106

Cambridge Ma, 02139

  • Include Your Name (Optional): If you’d like your contribution to be credited, please include your name on the submission.

Performance Details:

  • Interpretation: I reserve the right to interpret the instructions in any way I choose.

  • Safety Note: I will not perform any actions that I consider could be harmful to myself or others.

  • Presentation: Some actions will be recorded, while others will be performed live and unrehearsed at Tufts University Art Galleries, The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University  in Boston on January 31, 2025.

  • Exhibition: The papers and letters will be displayed as part of the exhibition.

  • Contact: For questions or more information, please contact Jimena Bermejo at jimenabermejo@gmail.com

 

Project Overview: 

This performance is part of a program “Undoing the Archive” on January 31, 2025 in conjunction with the exhibition, an archive and/or a repertoire, January 29–April 20, 2025, at the Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG) and Mobius Artists Group, which celebrates the rich history of Mobius’s work since c. 1975. The theme of the event, "archive," invites Mobius Artists Group and participants to explore the layers of creativity and community that have been cultivated over decades, while also reckoning with the gaps, erasures, and elisions in the archive.

 

 

Arte Latino Now 2022 /  by jimena Bermejo

Two pieces are part of this virtual exhibit! I am very excited, this is the first time that I am part of an all latine artist show!

Click HERE to visit it

Sponsored by The Center for Latino Studies at Queens University of Charlotte in partnership with artist Edwin Gil, and Queens’ Department of World Languages and Department of Art, Design and Music, ARTE LATINO NOW seeks to highlight the exciting cultural and artistic contributions of Latinos in the United States. Exhibition cover art: The Powerful Soul of Women by Catalina Gomez-Beuth For information on artists and works, click the i at the top right of the image inside the group.

Stories of a Mexican Immigrant /  by jimena Bermejo

I have been doing these video episodes titled “ Stories of a Mexican Immigrant”. I keep changing the name, not sure what is the right one, but this one feels good for now. They are posted on IG but I also have them on Vimeo. If you are curious go HERE.

A duet with Olivier Besson /  by jimena Bermejo

I wanted to share a duet a danced with the amazing Olivier Besson. I am a big fan of his. I have learned so much about teaching, improvising and performing from him. It was special to share this moment with him.


Performed at "A Moment's Notice" event at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. October 2019

A thought on music and integrity /  by jimena Bermejo

This post is dedicated to my friend Lana whom I always end up arguing about music with and my mother, who always told me not to sell out.

Lana and I go way back, we met in the mid-’90s when I was going to the Boston Conservatory. She was friends with my roommate at the time, who was involved with the music scene in Cambridge/Boston, and Lana used to play in a few bands. At some point after I graduated from college we ended up being neighbors in Cambridge and spent a lot of time going to the Middle East bar/club, going to parties, traveling to Mexico …you know, doing mid-twenties things. Anyways, she moved, and over the years, we have had a few “reunions."

Last night, Thanksgiving 2019, we saw each other at our friends’ house. The subject of music (which has come up in the past) made its appearance once again. Lana remembers (probably not very fondly) how one time when she was telling me she enjoyed listening to Gloria Stephan, that her voice was amazing, etc. etc. I said: Lana, what happened to you??!! We got into this back and forth about her telling me Mark Anthony was terrific and me saying it was shit.

So, am I a snob and judgemental asshole? Perhaps I am. I have come to realize (pointed out by my friends) that I am quite a snob when it comes to food and I agree. Why would I go pay tons of money for mediocre food? I love food and I want a good experience! But I deviate…

Ok back to music. I was thinking about how strongly I felt about mainstream music on my drive back from Thanksgiving last night, and here are some thoughts.

I grew up in Mexico city with my mom and my stepfather. My stepfather, Fernando was a writer and a theatre critic, my mother a singer who at a very young age ran away from the record labels and commercial TV that wanted to package her into a product they could sell. She then became an independent artist who had the freedom to perform what she wanted to and be the type of artist SHE chose to be.

In my teens, in Mexico City, I was part of a counter culture group of kids that would listen to music like The Cure, Bauhaus, Nina Hagen, The Police, and other New Wave and Post-punk bands. There were also rock bands from Mexico that we would follow, and we appreciated Latin rhythms /music (although at the time, we weren’t into them all that much). We dressed, acted, and created art a certain way. We would be part of political marches and strikes.

That’s a little bit of where I came from.

Then in the 90's I moved to Cambridge, and after a few years, thankfully, I found my peoples!! People in this country that would share the same political beliefs and tastes in music and art.

When Lana tells me Gloria Stephan and Mark Anthony are super talented and that their music is so good, I instantly draw a line. Talent? Many people are talented. The question for me is how that talent gets put out in the world. How do people use their talent? for what purpose? Someone who uses their talent for the purpose of making money is very different than someone who uses their talent for self-expression, to create change, to make people think and feel, to challenge themselves, to re-create themselves, to try new things. People like, my mother who is not financially wealthy, although if it was about talent, she should be. But she stood her ground and did not sell out and sang her heart out everywhere she went.

People like Gloria Stephan or Mark Anthony use their talent, their own culture, and exploit it. I do not have anything against certain popular music like good cumbia or salsa bands, music that comes from the people, but I don't like and don't want to support this type of mainstream commercial artist.

Having said this, I like bad music with awful offensive lyrics. I like Migos and Lil’ Wayne. They are no Wu-tang Clan, not a bit, but I enjoy them. Talk about commercial, mainstream stuff, right? The fact that rap and hip-hop music came from a culture that was trying to find ways to express anger about inequalities and terrible socio-economical situations makes a difference to me. Most of these artists, good and bad ones, come from undesirable conditions. They are not famous just because they have a pretty face. I am aware that there is so much more to discuss on this matter. Either way, I recognize that Migos are not good but I like them…a lot. I am aware of the bad stuff, and I do not buy their albums either.

I support talent, creativity, change, and integrity, and I listen and dance to some really "bad" music.

Oh, and Lana? We do have some music we both like: Manu Chao, Leonard Cohen, Buenavista Social Club…

Chris Brokaw and Jimena Bermejo Duets /  by jimena Bermejo

Chris and I just performed in Monhegan Island. We presented our first version of a piece with paper, movement and sound that we are expanding to perform in Dallas Theater in February (with special guest, the fabulous) Michael Figueroa. We also performed a duet that we love to a blend of two of Chris’s songs. More to come!

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Monster /  by jimena Bermejo

I was looking at videos of old pieces and found this work I made about or more than ten years ago!! I still really like this piece, and wish I had had the opportunity to show it more. Here are some excerpts.