Toxico Cultura

We get quite a few emails a month that go somewhat like this: “It all looks amazing, but what is Tóxico exactly and how can I participate?”

Ajá, sí, eso: the crisis of definitions that arise from trying to create changing and nomadic structures in the gaps of places and things. (Me gusta.)

And with out a doubt one of those complex scenarios is the way that Tóxico has been working for some time now with talented young professionals in Mexico, from different art-related fields. In past years this has been a multifaceted endeavor and somewhat extra-official. But now, finally, it will have its own name in the structure of things, and we will soon be launching “Tóxico Think Tank: Cases No. 001” and  the “In Vitro” project.

Both of them will involve hand-picked, hungry, talented students and young professionals, across a myriad of disciplines; it will be about collaborating together, about rethinking in friction with each other, knowledge building, the capacities of creativity to undo specific knots; about exploring the beautiful and tumultuous areas between their respective languages and diverse ways of viewing their world. It will also be a way of helping kickstart their careers, provoking their minds, and making them part of many national and international cultural and social projects. La Colección/Fundación Jumex (Mexico’s most important patron of the arts) will be following their progress; I will use input from my TED Senior Fellowship to help hone the parameters this individualized program; The Lift will be donating flights for some of them to be part of international events,  internships and residencies in the near future.

We are getting ready to launch websites and such.

Meanwhile–since they will be helping me cover the Postopolis! DF events on the Tóxico Blog–I introduce two people whom I am very excited to be working with:

Frida Robles, history major, with a special interest in “creative research” (as we have come to call it), and who has that strange capacity of prying into chaotic dusty archives with an unusual combination of talents: both amazing method plus impressive imagination.

Emilio Bassail, visual artist, and a perfect fit for Tóxico’s almost squizofrenic nature: interested in a whole bowlful of disciplines, and conversational many of them.

Also, a shout-out to Audrey Young–since she will be flying here soon–who will inaugurate Tóxico’s International Internships. Audrey studied at NYU’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation graduate program, has worked at the Arquivo Nacional do Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, is now on a Fullbright Scholarship in Portugal, and has, to boot,  collaborated with our beloved Cabinet Magazine. We feel lucky to have her.

Mmm. I am oh so very excited to have a new generation coming on board–our biggest motor is without a doubt that intoxicating possibility we have of being in constant contact with hungry, passionate, talented people from different generations–both our masterful awe-inspiring international guest, plus also this younger generation of creative people–whose minds buzz and whose eyes almost seem to pop out of their heads when they talk about all those things that matter to them and that make their (our)  lil’ hearts beat faster.

Así que bienvenidos a Tóxico Frida, Emilio, Audrey.