Sculptor Betsabeé Romero’s solo exhibition, “The Endless Spiral,” currently on display in Italy, will be moving to the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach next year. One of her signature tractor-tire pieces is stationed at MOLAA’s entrance, highlighting Romero’s work with junkyard scraps.
The 61-year-old artist grew up in Mexico City and still maintains a studio there, although it looks more like a warehouse or a mechanic’s workshop. “It used to be the first floor of the house I grew up in, but I converted it after returning from my studies in Paris so I could spend hours producing alone,” she told Gordon Cole-Schmidt of the LA Times. “It became my squat in Mexico City, which influenced my work the most.” Her time in Paris helped her refine her technique, but she considers the raw, industrial, violent, and unpredictable landscape of Mexico City to be the foundation of her artistic perspective.
Romero’s work often centers on themes of immigration, forced movement, and borders, and the exhibition in Venice is helping give her a new level of exposure. At the same time that the exhibition opened in Italy in April as one of the official extensions of the Venice Biennale, her large-scale public art installations were being viewed by millions in New York City. Romero installed five giant tractor tires on Park Avenue, each engraved with pre-Hispanic symbols in interlocking patterns and images of Mayan gods. She said the purpose of these installations is to “dignify the memories of migrants.”
“The Endless Spiral” is a six-part exhibition with more of her classic tire artwork and sculptures crafted with disused hubcaps and steering wheels. “I was always fascinated by the car,” she said. “It means something different to everyone: function, fashion, design, style, but also acts as a symbol of status, class, movement and opportunity.”
Years ago, in 2001, Romero was commissioned to create five car sculptures representing Latino culture in Los Angeles but struggled to find cheap, used car parts in her native Mexico City. “The car communities I had worked with in Mexico City had families north of the border who worked in junkyards around east California. They’d often get spare parts from there because they were much cheaper,” she said. “I saw a treasure trove.” She recalled everyone in the car trade was supportive and helpful, which began her love affair with California junk yards. “It was a beautiful time for me and one of the most important in my career.”
Despite her deep roots in Mexico City, Romero also spends enough time in Southern California and Los Angeles to have her favorite spots. She mentioned the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Little Tokyo neighborhood as two of her favorite spots to explore in the city. She named Morihiro in Atwater Village as her favorite place to eat. Bringing “The Endless Spiral” to Southern California seems like a natural next step for the exhibition.
Southern California residents will be able to see the entire exhibition starting next year at MOLAA. The museum’s curator, Gabriela Urtiaga, also a driving force behind the Venice exhibition, described Romero as “a nomadic spirit, always looking for new experiences and perspectives.” Romero carries this spirit and her identity as a Latin American into her work. Of the exhibition, she said, “The memories and cultures of migrants are often lost when they leave or are forced away from their homes. But I want them to feel a sense of pride in their origins in Latin America and beyond.”
