THE 8TH INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNIAL IN MEXICO

Iyama Koji, Japan. Series: (left) Mordaza [Gag] and P rpado
[Lid], Third Place, Posters Against Impunity. 28 3/4 x 40 1/2, plotter.
Flying into Mexico City, the world's largest, sprawling
metropolis, I always get an uncanny sensation that something big is
going to happen. On the way to the hotel, a taxi driver proudly states
that the population is now somewhere between 30 and 40 million people,
which is larger than Canada. Since 1989, the International Biennial of
the Poster in Mexico has taken place here. It has become home to not
only an astounding exhibition, but an experience to ignite the soul on
many levels.
Mexico City has an unbound cultural energy
that lives in her people through architecture, music, art and food and
slowly seeps into their hearts and minds. Within a culturally-rich
backdrop, international perspectives on human rights, environmentalism,
social justice, peace and consumerism took center stage. Organized by
Trama Visual and endorsed by Icograda, the 8th International Poster
Biennial in Mexico featured posters from 145 graphic designers in 35
countries, selected from approximately 5,000 entries. Held in Mexico
City s historical district, at the Franz Mayer Museum from October 22,
2004 through January 7, 2005, it is the largest international poster
exhibition of its kind.
Opening night at the Museum was
a stunning spectacle with over 300 pieces presented; posters with
commercial, cultural and social content, selected from young students
to revered design icons, such as Milton Glaser, were displayed side by
side on the museum walls.
Speaking of the event,
director Xavier Burmudez, said, "For two months, there is the
opportunity to review and analyze selected posters by designers from 35
countries. Asians, Finns, French, Latin Americans, Mexicans, North
Americans and Poles hold a dialogue taken from the poster. These
participants enrich our culture with ideas engendered from their needs
for peace, consumption, recreation and artistic activity...Posters
imagined from their way of life and manners of understanding their own
realities."
Regarding the selection process, juror
Bojidar Ikonomov of Bulgaria, director of the International Triennial
of the Stage Poster, Bulgaria, said, "I cannot accept posters that are
only a display or form, a fashionable design, but that lack content and
have nothing to say. The poster is, first of all, a way of thinking. It
should surprise, challenge and intrigue us. Although sometimes it looks
like a sign, it should also be a symbol; it should possess a depth and
a second plan. It should make us think! "
Two posters
that did just that were Alain Le Quernec s ALQ 2 and Chaz
Maviyane-Davies s Eject poster. The solo exhibition poster by Le
Quernec, a French designer, was an ode to early French (des affiche)
poster masters, illustrating his respect for this medium and its
history, while presenting it in a fresh way. On the eve of the U.S.
Presidential election, Maviyane-Davies s Eject poster provided timely
political commentary, graphically combining the issue of voting and his
personal opinion of Mr. Bush. Maviyane-Davies, a recent emigr from
Zimbabwe to the United States, brought his experience of political
apathy to the forefront via his posters.
Posters Against Impunity
The
Biennial presented designers with an opportunity to create a visual
response to a theme, and last year it was Posters Against Impunity. The
selected posters were a powerful, diverse collection of ideas that
dealt with this increasing global issue. In particular, Japanese
designer Iyama Koji s posters Lid and Gag subtly spoke of the perpetual
cycle of silence the victims of impunity must endure. In contrast, many
designers from M xico felt compelled to create a visceral response to
the recent, horrific murders of 300 women in the northern city of Ju
rez. The graphic posters made their impact, and were extraordinarily
relevant to this exhibition.
Designers have a global
connection, a universal vocabulary that communicates through the
poster. And with it comes responsibility.
The International Festival of Design and the Arts, Xalapa
Following
the Biennial opening in M xico City, the organizers, the jury and
selected country guests (from Latin America), traveled 250 miles east
to the historic city of Xalapa. Home to a half-million people and the
University of Veracruz s main campus as well as several important
research centers, Xalapa is a lively intellectual and cultural center,
and its atmosphere created a perfect setting for the Festival s
conferences and workshops.
The next four days were
broken into three parts: the morning conference featured keynote
speakers (Alessandra Migani, David Consuegra, Julian Naranjo, Pablo
Kunst, Tapani Aartomaa, Patricia Hordo ez, Santiago Pol, Ronaldo
Shakespear, Carlos Palleiro, Alessandro Manetti, Bojidar Ikonomov,
Marta Granados and Felipe Taborda) presenting their work; the late
afternoon workshops, given by selected jurors and guest speakers, were
held at various Instituto de Artes Pl sticas (Institute of the Plastic
Arts) studios; and then it was on to evening events, both solo and
group exhibitions, eighteen in all. Daily three-hour workshops
addressed not only poster design, but provided each lecturer the
opportunity to speak of his or her country s cultural and design
communities. Most valuable was the interaction between the over 2,000
attending designers, educators and students revealing some differences,
but often surprisingly, similarities no matter which country was called
home.
An example of cultural differences was revealed by
Venezuela s Santiago Pol. He presented a collection of hand-painted
street graphics from his country, colorfully advertising a range of
services from home appliances to the curious, and disturbing,
half-chicken, half-cow poster. This he explained was meant to entice
people to try this new form of fast food called Cowicken. Other
presentations were equally enlightening and inspiring, especially
Argentina s Ronaldo Shakespear. His amazing life history included
hanging out with Stanley Kubrick and Orson Welles, while at the same
time building Dise o Shakespear, one of the leading design firms in
Buenos Aires today.
The scale of the Festival was huge,
its impact immense. Designers were able to share their sources of
inspiration for the poster as a communication tool, well beyond the
exhibition. El Fabulosos Cartel, Ol !
As expected,
something big did happen. "The International Poster Biennial of M xico
is the most important professional event in the Western Hemisphere,"
said Phil Risbeck, co-founder and co-director of the Colorado
International Invitational Poster Exhibition, "because it taps into and
reveals for the entire world the creative reservoirs of all countries
in North, Central and South America. Mexico City truly is the cultural
capital of the Americas at this time." (Viva Mexico! Viva the poster!)
About this article
Reprinted with permission by Communication Arts, 2005 Coyne &
Blanchard, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally published in the
March/April 2005 issue of Communication Arts.