Mexican Feast Director Duran-Loera Dispels ClichÈs, Presents Culture to Americans by Gary Tischler The Mexican Cultural Institute at 2829 16th St., NW, is an imposing, Old World and otherworldly kind of place that inspires awe, respect, and an affinity for and knowledge of culture. Ignacio Duran-Loera looks right at home hereóand not just because he is the director general of the institute, which makes him in effect the cultural representative of the Embassy of Mexico in Washington. Sitting in his office, which sports a full library, artwork and a large coffee-table book on Mexican artist Diego Rivera, Duran-Loera presents an image of stature and worldliness. With his neatly trimmed beard and lively eyes, he is clearly a man who is serious about international affairs and culture. A veteran diplomat, Duran-Loera has also enjoyed a lasting relationship with the film industry, which may account for his worldly air and his ability to deal with the cultural clichÈs associated with Mexico and the enduring U.S.-Mexican relationship. ìI see my task as presenting the culture of Mexico to the United States, to the people of Washington, to the immediate neighborho od, and to present Mexican culture in all of its variety, which is considerableóbeyond the clichÈs that we all have about such things,î Duran-Loera said. ìIf you think about Mexican art, for instance, you seem often to be thinking of two things hereóthe Mayan or pre-colonization art, and the great muralist, nationalist art of Diego Rivera as well as [Gabriel] Orozco and, of course, Frida Kahlo,î he said. ìThese are enduring names and images in the minds of the world, but Mexican art and culture has hardly stopped there. We try with many of our exhibitions here to present contemporary Mexican artists, painters, sculptors and photographers, and itís then that people see what is a tremendous variety of genres, themes, methodology.î To that end, ìLa Estampa Mexicana,î an exhibition of works by 33 contemporary Mexican artists that opened Jan. 22, is one in an ongoing series of exhibitions at the institute devoted to contemporary Mexican artists and trends in Mexican art. ìItís not just about presenting art, music and artists,î Duran-Loera said. ìHaving the institute available as a site with its own artwork, its history, presents a way of projecting into the surrounding community and having the community come to us. The arrays of possibilities in this city and this place are endless. So we have many thingsóexhibitions of artists, to be sure, but also films, lectures, symposiums, recitals and culinary demonstrations by famous chefs. This is a very historic building, of course, but what we do here makes it a very living sort of place.î At the institute, which was formed after the Embassy of Mexico moved from its original location, tradition can also be found in the buildingís appearance, with its murals, stately rooms, permanent collections and elegant spaces. But the activities energize the institute, giving it a certain contemporary cache. Itís a kind of juncture where clichÈs meet and, hopefully, are dispelled. ìI think Mexican and American people hold certain cultural clichÈs about each other, and they tend to come from each otherís popular culture, usually films,î Duran-Loera said. ìWeíre dealing in stereotypes here. There is, for instance, the idea of the beautiful senorita, the angelic but seductive female, sensual and exotic. Conversely, the idea of the American senoritaóblonde, carefree, independent and open. Regretfully, the clichÈ of the Mexican bandit still existsÖ. The American clichÈ is the robber barons and the gangsters. It is our job to dispel the clichÈs and the stereotypes.î Although trained to be a lawyer, Duran-Loera, whose father was in the film business, attended the London School of Cinema. He has worked as a film and television producer (producing the successful ìLike Water for Chocolateî) and as director of the Mexican Institute of Cinematografia. In addition, he was an official with the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico, a key institution in a country where the government is a powerful player in the world of fine arts. Duran-Loera was also cultural attachÈ at the embassies of Mexico in Great Britain and the United States, and he has been director of the Mexican Cultural Institute for the past three years. ìEverything that happened since the days of [Diego] Rivera has in some ways been a journey to find new ways, new expressions,î Duran-Loera explained. ìThere is a tremendous amount of individual talent, artists who pride themselves about not belonging to a group or school, and I think that has added vitality to the Mexican culture.î Washington itself will get a closer look at the grandeur and variety of Mexican culture this spring with the opening of ìCourtly Art of the Ancient Mayaî and ìThe Cubist Paintings of Diego Rivera: Memory, Politics, Placeî at the National Gallery of Art in April. Together with ìThe Cinema of Mexico,î a series of historically significant feature films running from April 24 to July 25, the events will mark a major celebration of Mexican culture. Gary Tischler is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.