A Unique Cultural and Artistic Twist on Cinco de Mayo

As Mexicans and others gather this weekend to commemorate the 1862 victory of a ragtag Mexican army over a superior force of French troops, the most unusual refrain to be heard during the celebrating might very well be: “Jeul-guh-eun o wol o il!”

That’s Korean for “Happy Cinco de Mayo.”

Among the variety of events scheduled to mark the Mexican holiday is the start today of a unique art exhibit featuring five Latino artists and five Korean-born artists. The exhibition is co-sponsored by the Mexican Cultural Institute, near Olvera Street, and the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles’ Koreatown district. Both agencies will be showing works by the 10 artists in the coming weeks.

There are more and more cross-cultural celebrations these days in Los Angeles. In recent years, for example, African American and Latino activists and residents in Watts staged an annual Cinco de Mayo parade to promote community harmony. But this cross-cultural exhibition surprised one of the Latino artists featured in it.

“I never thought we had anything in common with Koreans,” artist Carlos Vargas said. “But it makes all the sense in the world. We’re all pretty much the same” in sharing the immigrant experience in Los Angeles.

The idea for the Mexican-Korean collaboration came from Jong-Moon Park, who took over last year as director of the Korean Cultural Center. He studied in Spain and Latin America, and said during an interview Thursday that he is more comfortable in Spanish than in English.

“I wanted to find an opportunity to interact with the very large Latino community in Los Angeles,” Park said in Spanish. “After all, Los Angeles has a very big heart for Mexico.”

So, he approached his counterpart at the Mexican Cultural Institute, President Leticia Quezada, who didn’t need much convincing.

“The fact is, something like this is needed,” she said. “When you drive on Wilshire Boulevard (in Koreatown), you see Korean businessmen and Latino employees, working together. We hope to start a tradition with this.”

The artists’ work in the exhibitions do not have ethnic themes. Instead, organizers said, the fact that Young Chung’s photographs of routine life in Los Angeles are next to Vargas’ images of Los Angeles bridges and police helicopters is enough of an ethnic statement.

An opening reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Mexican institute, 125 Paseo de la Plaza, next to Olvera Street, where the exhibition will run through June 11. The affiliated exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center, 5505 Wilshire Blvd., will open May 7 and run through June 3.

Because May 5 falls on a weekday this year, other Mexican-themed celebrations are scheduled for this weekend to mark the victory over the French at the Mexican city of Puebla. The annual celebration at Olvera Street, where the Mexican Cultural Institute is located, begins today at 10 a.m.

The event, featuring music, food booths, children’s play areas and other highlights, will continue through the weekend and conclude at 10 p.m. Sunday. Other Saturday celebrations include those at Lennox County Park in Lennox and Val Verde County Park in Saugus.

On Sunday, the 10th annual Cinco de Mayo music festival at the Whittier Narrows Recreational Area in South El Monte, featuring Shakir, Rocio Durcal and Los Tiranos del Norte, is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Admission is free.