Alejandro Almanza Pereda's Obstacle Course | Art21 "New York Close Up"

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For me the most fond memory is always about mischief.

You had to go away from the norm.

So that’s where it’s fun.
Because if it’s normal, it’s not fun.

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["Alejandro Almanza Pereda's Obstacle Course"]

I’m from Mexico City

Mexico City is really quick,
but it’s not like New York.

As a general rule for going to New York City,

if you don’t have any contacts,
the first year is tough.

[Obstacle #1:
Getting started in New York City...]

[Alejandro's desk]

When I moved to New York City after undergraduate,

I was planning to work really hard and get some money.

I have a good job as an art handler.

I had an art band.

And we were doing great.

We’d be making concerts, having a lot of fun.

I was doing art.

I was living in a great place with great roommates--

amazing friends.

It was my time of life.

But I realized that after this,
everything is going to go downhill.

So I went back to Mexico City.

After four years in Mexico,
I really wanted to go back to New York City.

But of course I don’t have a visa for that.

And I thought oh, well I should just apply for school.

Hunter is just like a long term dress rehearsal.

When I was coming back I thought oh, New York,

[snaps fingers]
easy, you know.

It will be fun.
I know the city, I’ll get my old job.

It’s going to be OK.

But it didn’t happen that way.

[Obstacle #2]

[Because he can't afford an apartment...]

[Alejandro couch surfs for the semester.]

My adventure started in Greenpoint
at Rick’s and Birgit’s for 2 months.

It was great.

Then I moved to Miriam’s and Shawn's
for two weeks, in Bushwick.

Then I went to Madrid for a week.

I came back,

stayed at Claudia’s sofa for some days.

Then I got this residency at The Den
and I stayed for a week there

at Mckendree’s Project in Clinton Hill.

After that, I stayed like two days in DUMBO--

it was a friend’s of a friend’s of a friend’s.

Then went back to Miriam’s and Shawn.

Moved 3 blocks to Claudia’s sofa,

and then I moved to my friend’s, Bernardo,
for a week and a half...

oh, I think so...less than that.

Back to Miriam’s and Shawn,

and then I’m here again at Claudia’s.

Now I am not staying in the sofa,
I’m staying in the bed.

(Claudia's out of town)

And from here, right now,
we’re going to go to Erik’s and Melissa,

and I’m going to stay there for three days.

I’m going to take care of their plants.

And after that, I don’t know.

I might ask my friend Alberto for shelter, you know.

I spent like $600 on rent.

That seems pretty incredible.

So instead of paying rent, I make a big party.

And a party should be taken seriously.

Do it with all your might.

I have been quite lucky to survive this semester.

I kind of like stressful situations.

[sound of glass breaking]

[Obstacle #3]

[The night before Alejandro's first crit...]

[He accidentally knocks over some drywall...]

[Half of his sculptures break.]

--Oops.

It feels like a crime scene, no?
Like, yeah, this feels weird, yeah.

I thought that you were going to think I went crazy
and I started kicking everything.

[Laughs]

[Jess Wheaton--studio mate]
Well admittedly that did cross my mind.

That you just got frustrated with your like tiny cube.

[Both laugh]

[Alejandro showed what survived at his crit...]

[Then took the sculptures apart]

I love light.

I use the light bulb,
the fragility of it.

They’re delicate.

But if you apply pressure on them lengthwise,
they are super tough.

I kind of like that this stick that emits light
is holding something,

like a structure.

This, a living thing--

this current is active.

Alright.

[Running out of money...]

[Alejandro improvises.]

[He sells back some materials.]

[Refund: $82.41]

[Obstacle 4]

[Hunter decides to move the MFA studios
to a smaller building...]

[with more students.]

[Alejandro creates an artwork in response...]

[with fellow grad students.]

The sadness about what’s happening to this building,

it has been like 10 years of fight.

[Irvin Morazan, third year grad student]
I will be the last class to graduate from this building

before it gets torn down.

[Abelardo Cruz Santiago, first year grad student]
Every student that’s gone through here
has had like a good space,

and now like that’s gonna be taken away.

They offer the best studios,
while still having really good faculty too.

[Almanza Pereda]
Look at this room, it’s pretty amazing.

And it’s a shame because
the 5th floor is half empty,

the 6th floor is half empty.

I really like the buildings--
like gritty and ugly.

It has something, you know?

I never done a piece with text.

So it was really hard for me.
It’s like, what should I say?

Like, “Yeah, I want my money back.”

I was just writing words and words,

and I start thinking about what’s happening--

we’re just, like, being displaced.

[Man, off screen]
When I saw the sign I was just like,
wow, 21st century graffiti.

[Another man, off screen]
I think it’s getting the point across
that we’re unhappy about this move.

[Almanza Pereda]
I have to do it in my own language.

When you have a harsh path,
you improvise, you learn, no?

I think it’s healthy to stand up when there’s something affecting you and your community.

Hunter is my community.

It’s not tequila, it’s a mescal.

It’s a mescal that some friends are selling in Mexico City.

It’s pretty delicious.

Cheers!