Borderlands, July 2018
Tavera has shown his work extensively in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, nationally and internationally including Chile, Uruguay, Germany and China. His work is part of the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Plaines Art Museum, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minnesota History Center and the Weisman Art Museum. He is a recipient of the McKnight fellowship, Jerome Travel award, State Arts Board, and Bronica scholarship.
Tavera’s final year of his Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Minnesota coincided with the political turmoil concerning immigration and the Trump administration which inspired a new series of work for Tavera. Prior to starting his last semester, Tavera traveled the whole length of the United States-Mexico border to document the landscape and its inhabitants.[9] Drawing on his own memories of crossing the border and the knowledge that the border exists as a part of everyday life for Latinas/Latinos/Latinx living in the United States, Tavera photographed views from both sides of the border depicting the surrounding landscapes and portraits of people he encountered in the area. Tavera’s intention with Borderlands was in finding the more personal, humane aspect of the region as this resonated deeper with him versus the constant politicization of the land.[5] Drawing on his previous work, he also began photographing deported veterans living on the border—many of whom were Mexican-born and served under various branches of the United States military as undocumented citizens. This aspect of Tavera’s work seeks to bring veterans that have been cast aside to light.[9] Tavera exhibited selections from the Borderland series at ProjekTraum FN at l’atelier Glidden Wozniak in Friedrichshafen, Germany,[10] Kunsthaus Caserne in Friedrichshafen, Germany,[11] and the Staniar Gallery at Washington and Lee University.[9]
from Wikipedia
