REDCAT

Collaborator, Rigo 23: Autonomous InterGalactic Space Program

REDCAT - ROY AND EDNA DISNEY/CALARTS THEATER

CalArts' Downtown Center for Contemporary Arts

Los Angeles, California

https://www.redcat.org/exhibition/rigo-23-autonomous-intergalactic-space-program?fbclid=IwAR0zy7MEpbsrhmD0UvF_9AqZB8e48PqCsxYfdf-DFUVBudsXgvIcHpo5V4Q

https://vimeo.com/39581917

With agricultural wars stemming back fifteen years spanning the globe to and from India, China, Mexico and more as well as the United States between those living indigenously and governing capitalists; metropolitans moving into caves in France; Rainer Kwasi, transformationally living with 14, 10 meter long boa’s and pythons working with doctors, hyperactive and sexually abused children; and oil being dumped on the floor of the Amazon Basin as well as the Niger delta, whereas those indigenous have successfully sued multinational oil giant Chevron to the tune of 18 billion, yes dollars as well as Shell, BP and soon more around the world.  The Dogon of Mali, compared to the ancient Egyptians in knowledge and practice, facing terrorists’ coups of coups in their territory of a fundamentalist kind.  Modernity, as the scholars say has met primitivity and now primitivity is modern.

Now, if I may introduce you to the first revolutionaries of the international agriculture wars… Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN.  The Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico have led a life of repose and true vitality.  They are a peaceful community living without disease of any kind, no birth defects and consistently produce harvests to feed themselves as well as the many that support their inate mission.  With exception of the international agriculture community, as well to of course, the Mexican Government this subversive semi nomadic organic farming community has been quiet and peaceful, which is probably why you haven’t heard about them.  This exception also extends to the inclusion of the historically indiscriminate violent paramilitary who now disguise themselves in the likeness of the Zapatistas by wearing their famous black toboggans, eyes only showing.  The Zapatistas are known for their black masks, much like a Muslim woman in a Burqa but with only the head covered.  They are known as far leftists simply because their society is the likeness of a word we know have at the ends of our intellectual nerves, Biomimicry. 

Presently the Zapatistas are still masked, “we covered our faces to stop being invisible”.  They took up arms only in defense of their indigenous birthright to live on the land they were borne and to cultivate food;  “We believe in armed revolution, and poetry remains one of our favorite weapons”.  “We are conscious of being like clowns in these military clothes, and we have a suicidal wish as an organization – as we fight for a world without soldiers”.  These quotes, from the paper of the current exhibition at REDCAT/ The famed futuristic Disney Hall designed by Frank Gehry in Los Angeles, by Rigo23 and his 80 collaborators, Autonomous Intergalactic Space Program, which celebrates the wholehearted spirit of the Zapatistas, a consciousness where all can live in abundance on earth.  “We are not interested in power, as no society should be run by a military class”.  Rigo23 is also now in collaboration with Amos, a veteran himself, who heading the production of the newly named Veterans Alley in San Francisco.  It is a collaboration of mural artists who are all veterans, from their sole perspective.

In 2007 I attended the infamous "Intergalactic Encuentro" of the Zapatistas in two of the five of their territories in Chiapas called caracoles (snail in Spanish) representing the natural slow way of life, much like the ‘slow food’ movement started in Italy.  Activists from 30 countries from around the world attended; Chinese, Indian, American and European farmers spoke about their countries politics around agriculture from the farmer’s perspective.  It was only a year after the mass suicides of Indian farmers due to financial pressures from the government to pay fees for seeds and equipment, which were simply unaffordable given the yield of crops and profits made by the farmers.  Many (13,000 in 2006) took their own lives due to the fact that they were losing the only thing that kept their families alive as well as the poisons called fertilizers made by Monsanto.

Now with government still supporting Monsanto who is failing to control nature, the genetics of monoculture farming with Genetically Modified Organism have been proven to alter organ functions causing disease. And by which also causing in all bodies of our interdependent biological system failure from humans to the very soil, which gives life as the foundation for growing everything; we, as a world community are facing a biological capitalistic governing catastrophe ten years plus in the running.  Agriculture has historically been the largest export from the United States only second to Entertainment which thankfully has transcended in dissent due to the Internet.  However, in 2011 fuel was the United States largest export; hum, I wonder if you’re thinking of Fracking.  Where in the world are we headed?

Well with individual organic farms on the rise in the United States after the Arab Spring it looks as though freedom abounds.  A world with decentralized power, as the Zapatistas practice, like their ancestors the ancient Mayans who we now know saw a future after December 2012 up to 7000 years of future dates on the calendar “predict times of plenty “, “now is the time”. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120510-maya-2012-doomsday-calendar-end-of-world-science?source=link_fb05102012saturnomuralmaya)
The earth grows and it is free. We have a long road ahead of ‘fighting and loving’ as a dear friend from Amazon Watch says. We are all indigenous to this macrocosm of our biomimicing microcosms, we thrive where our feet roam and our minds wonder the wondrousness all around us.  “We are the Environment” Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says;  some of us know and feel this and some of us are waking to this still.