BajaNomad

Border week: A U.S. photographer's eye on Baja California - A look at notable events through Nov. 10

Gypsy Jan - 11-7-2012 at 04:53 PM

From The San Diego Union Tribune

By Sandra Dibble

"One step back, two steps forward," is the name of an exhibit that opens Friday in Tijuana featuring two dozen black-and-white photographs by the U.S. photographer, David Maung.

The pieces include images of a runner on a beach, a girl on a swing, the reflection of trees in a pond. "They're all shots of open spaces, a little bit lonely," said Maung, 51, who has lived in Tijuana for the past 17 years. "They show stagnation and movement at the same time."

Born in Chicago, raised in Minnesota and California, Maung took up photography while attending Humboldt State. After years of using digital cameras, Maung returned to film to capture these images. "When you shoot film, you see things differently. It was a chance to sit back and relax a little bit and think about what I was doing."

Maung has covered headline-grabbing topics such as drug violence and illegal immigration in his work as a freelancer for the UT San Diego and other news outlets. But he has also worked persistently to to capture images of everyday life. "It's important to try to find the big picture in covering little things," he said.

The exhibit opens at 8 p.m. at Espacio Freelance, a gallery inside Pasaje Rodríguez, located between Third and Fourth Streets off of Avenida Revolución. It will run through Nov. 30th.

Other notable events this week on the San Diego-Tijuana border:

Tuesday through Saturday: The 19th Hispanic-American Guitar Festival includes concerts, lectures workshops and master classes. Among the highlights: Inaugural Concert featuring guitarist Nadezhda Borislova (Russsia-Mexico) and pianist Emilio Casco (Mexico) on Tuesday a 7 p.m. at the Casa de la Cultura de Tijuana. The closing concert features Mexican guitarist Pablo Gómez and guests at the Tijuana Cultural Center (Cecut) at 8 p.m. Saturday. All concerts are free.

Wednesday: The Tijuana dance ensemble Lux Boreal performs "Lamb" by the the Australian choreographer Phillip Adams. At the Cecut at 8 p.m. Tickets are 150 pesos (about $12).

Wednesday through Friday: The tenth Human Rights Forum of the Jesuit university system takes place at Iberoamerican University's campus in Playas de Tijuana. Investigative journalist Sanjuana Martínez, author of "Frontera del Narco," is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Loyola Auditorium.

Wednesday through Saturday: The tenth Festival of Northwest Literature includes poetry readings, a discussion of the Mexican horror novel, a discussion about cultural journalism, workshops on literary creativity. At various locations."