BERKELEY — The exhibit “MONTARlaBestia” (“Riding the Beast”) will open July 11 at UC Berkeley’s Center for Latin American Studies, 2334 Bowditch St.
La Bestia is the popular name for the freight train that as many as a half-million Central American migrants a year ride during a perilous journey through Mexico to the United States border. The exhibit, organized by the Colectivo de Artistas contra la Discriminación (Artists Collective against Discrimination) explores that experience through art and poetry, the center says in an announcement.
“Recently, the topics of walls and deportations, in a context of often xenophobic rhetoric, have focused national and international attention on the southern border of the United States,” the release notes. “The Center for Latin American Studies feels this a critical moment to engage in dialogue with people from both sides of the border.”
MONTARlaBestia will be open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday through Aug. 10. The exhibit will be part of a larger program at the center in the fall that will focus on important themes that involve both the U.S. and Mexico.
MONTARlaBestia is underwritten by Richard A. Levy, MD, and Andrew Kluger in collaboration with the Mexican Museum, the Mexican Consulate General of San Francisco, and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation, according to the press release. More information about the Center for Latin American Studies is available at clas.berkeley.edu.