Since 2017 Apodaca’s work has aimed to confront the hyper-militarization of San Diego and its global implications. His video installation Monumental Interventions creates illusory worlds where toppled statues come to life, addressing San Diego’s complicity in US hegemony in Latin America and the Pacific, all while examining the militarization of the US-Mexico border. With anonymous community participation, Apodaca’s work delves into the saturation of patriotism within San Diego’s socially and physically constructed landscape while shedding light on the environmental injustices experienced in Barrio Logan due to pollution from nearby naval shipyards. The artist’s series of drawings entitled Reruns and documentary films Oceanside 69 and Del Mar 72 collectively provide an intimate window into San Diego’s tumultuous antiwar era from 1969 to 1972. These stories capture personal experiences , from acts of violence by FBI-funded, right-wing vigilantes to the struggles of antiwar and civil rights activists who organized both on and off military bases in the region. The Secret City examines the past and the immediate present and envisions a future devoid of waging war with impunity, limitless military aid, illegal occupation, and genocide, all in the name of capital and at the cost of our environment and our global community from Palestine to Mexico. Learn more here. Opening reception: 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. Related links: Athenaeum Art Center website | Instagram Evan Apodaca Instagram
