This exhibition documents the work of Mexican-born, New York-based artist Laura Anderson Barbata and her decade-long project with stilt-walking communities in Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, and Brooklyn. Her project highlights the vitality of the moko jumbie stilt walking tradition and demonstrates the possibility of using this storied art form as a platform for social contemporary performance, group participation, and protest. Spanning from 13 feet tall to just 11 inches small, the works presented in the exhibition range from textile-based to sculptural objects, as well as photographs, videos, and projections that document the collaborative projects.

Laura Anderson Barbata is known for her participatory, collaborative art, often involving partnerships with local artisans. The relationships forged with collaborators and the cultural exchanges that take place are the most important components for the artist. Transcommunality encompasses community art, public art, social intervention, performance, and sculpture, focusing on an artist who has dedicated her practice to confronting the hierarchies of so-called “fine art” and popular art, craft and folk traditions.

Transcommunality: Laura Anderson Barbata, Collaboration Beyond Borders has previously been presented at the Centro de las Artes de Nuevo León, Monterrey; Museo de la Ciudad de México, México, D.F.; and Museo Textil de Oaxaca, México; BRIC House, Brooklyn, NY; and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Click here to view Laura Anderson Barbata's insights on her work in this exhibition.

Click here to view a community performance at The Cornell Fine Arts Museum with Laura Anderson Barbata and the Brooklyn Jumbies.