MEXFEST, A Mexican Culture Arts Festival, to be Presented At The Tank

Celebrating Mexican Culture in all its vibrancy, the inaugural MEXFEST brings together communities from the Mexican diaspora, Latiné artists, and ALL who love and appreciate the richness of Mexican arts and cultures. On Sept. 19-22 at The Tank (312 W 36th St, 36th and 8th Ave., NYC) MEXFEST 2024 presents theater, dance, film, performance art, panel discussions, and networking events.

MEXFEST a Mexican Culture Arts Festival - officially opens on Thursday, Sept. 19 @ 7:00pm with Last Christmas written and directed by Xtian Ávila (performed by Danny Borba and Ávila) and capped by Goat Blood written by Mark-Eugene García. Following on Friday the 20th Caged, by Jimmy Noriega and Teatro Travieso/Troublemaker Theatre that focuses on the "zero tolerance" policy of the Trump Administration that separated families at the US-Mexico border. Saturday's (Sept 21) programming includes a one-man show about Mexican icons, The Loves of Diego Rivera by Carlos Morton & Herbert Siguenza, const.tru.y.END//o by Aranxta Araujo, an immersive performance and installation that features a stage illuminated by 39 monstrance-like objects, each one crafted from plaster or concrete and displayed as an altar that honors life. Each monstrance contains a cempasuchil flower, symbolizing the beauty and impermanence of life. Over the course of 39 minutes-one minute for each year of Araujo's life-she/they will destructively dismantle one object at a time, liberating the flowers and leaving the wreckage as a powerful statement of deconstruction and self-liberation. Accompanying this visual journey, sound artist Mariana Uribe creates the soundscape. To cap the evening, a special performance from Legendary Drag Performer Freeda Kulo and a FIESTA. On Sunday (Sept 22), programming includes Gentleman Robert, a one- act play with original music, dance, ventriloquism and puppetry by Renée Lavalle from Lava House Arts and is capped by Suficiente, an award winning film by Regina Romero that describes the struggle of a Mexican immigrant and the different identities she's had to take on in the U.S. , followed by poetry and a panel-discussion with participating artists from MEXFEST.

I created MEXFEST to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage in a time when mi gente are under unceasing attack, to create a space where artists from the diaspora and ALL who cherish it can come together to revel in our joys and customs, hold each other in our sorrows and rituals, and accompany each other in our search for identity and meaning, said Xtian (pronounced Cristian) Ávila, MEXFEST Co-Producer and Queens, NYC resident.