Junior High | Miscelánea Divina

Junior High Gallery curated by Chelsie Rivera and the Artist

Los Angeles, CA | March 27th-April 19th, 2026

“Miscelánea Divina” is a reimagination of my life on the United States-Mexico border. Growing up in Northern Mexico, I was impacted by political and commercial art and its powerful hold on local communities. In a time when it has become increasingly difficult to separate commodities from their imposed political affiliations, I often wonder how companies influence our existence and skew our perception of cultural heritage and identity.

Within the last year, CEMEX (a Mexican multinational building materials company, headquartered in San Pedro Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico) has set up an excavation site in South Phoenix across from my home. Their presence occupies space that could have otherwise been used for community parks, grocery stores, or other amenities my neighborhood lacks. Inspired by what is becoming a company town, the work in this series investigates our land use, consumption, and commodification of resources.

Miscelánea is the Spanish term for a collection of miscellaneous objects or, more specifically, a neighborhood store selling assorted goods and groceries, typically named after the families that owned them. If this exhibition is my collection of miscellaneous art objects, which company town would Miscelánea Divina belong to?