CARNE y ARENA

The Nasher Sculpture Center and the George W. Bush Presidential Center in partnership with Emerson Collective, PHI Studio, and Legendary Entertainment present the immersive VR experience recounting the harrowing journey of Central American and Mexican refugees. CARNE y ARENA is presented for the first time in Texas, the state that shares the longest border with Mexico—over 1200 miles—and a crossing point for many refugees. The installation opens in Fair Park after numerous sold-out runs in the U.S. and abroad.

About the Experience

Originally presented at the 70th Festival de Cannes in 2017, CARNE y ARENA (Virtually present, Physically invisible) was the first VR experience ever chosen as part of the festival’s Official Selection. Created with frequent collaborator and Academy Award®-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, CARNE y ARENA explores the human condition of refugees and immigrants during their journey.

The immersive experience is a 20-minute solo journey centered around a multi-narrative virtual reality sequence based on true accounts reenacted by Central American and Mexican refugees. Lines between subject and bystander are blurred and bound together through state-of-the-art immersive technology as visitors walk in a vast, sand-filled space and witness a fragment of a refugee’s personal journey. Following its 2017 premiere, five-time Academy Award-winning director Iñárritu was presented a special Oscar® for CARNE y ARENA by the Academy “in recognition of a visionary and powerful experience in storytelling.”