Send the Block

Curated by Ash Cortes

Artists: Jordan Cruz, Joseph Blanco

January 2021 

Send the Block invites viewers to take a look at the work of two Bronx artists, both from different parts of the borough who’s work and experiences meld and at the same time stand apart. What are the systems they operate within? How do they themselves identify these systems? This is an exhibition of a shifting idea whose ownership changes hands with the influx of new travelers, immigrants, and colonists.

Jordan Cruz and Joseph Blanco both interrogate their relationship to their identities both as they are seen and as they see themselves. Particularly focusing on what surrounds them, whether that be cultural materials, people, and architecture. They both mix and blur the boundaries between all of these access points to put forth and share a wider view of their experience. 

How do you define a city block? Its ecosystem is unique. The parameters and boundaries are easily visible, and what seeps in can occlude its identity and at the same time, create a juxtaposition to highlight its individuality. Certain sounds or materials, things that make up the atmosphere. It's a reflection of a culture, its place, neighborhood, and the intersection where all these things meet. Controlled and influenced by surrounding open systems and culture, it still maintains a closed identity within itself and within those that inhabit/claim it as their own. A similar “block” approach to identity can be observed in artists, especially those dealing with culture, collective memory, and the lines between temporality and self growth.