The ITESO University Cultural Festival invites us to recognize the different ways of inhabiting the body

ITESO Editorial Team

Humor, dialogues, performance , shows, workshops, dance, film screenings, spaces for expression, exhibitions, book presentations, among other options, make up the program that the Cultural Promotion Center (CPC) of ITESO has prepared this year to reflect on the multiple ways in which we relate to the body.

“The body is neither neutral nor individual; it is marked by age, mobility, gender, social origin, history, and affections,” says Alejandra Casanova, director of this year’s University Cultural Festival (FCU). “In an environment like the university, where we ask ourselves so many questions rationally, this festival puts the body at the center: as a living archive, as a language, as a possibility for encounter,” Casanova adds.

Kike Vázquez, comedian, psychologist, actor and author who lives with a disability, will be in charge of opening the festival with the stand-up comedy show "And for you, what is normal?" , on Wednesday, October 21, at 6:00 p.m., in the Pedro Arrupe, SJ Auditorium.

Also known as one of the stars of the Netflix series *Ojitos de huevo *, Vázquez, along with linguist Luz Zenteno, will present their book *Parafrasis cerebral * (Brain Paraphrase), in which they call for seeing people beyond diagnoses in order to break down the physical, ideological, and social barriers that we encounter in our relationships. This presentation will take place on Thursday the 22nd, at 11:00 a.m., in the Blackbox of the Culture and Art Building on campus.

In conjunction with the Department of Sociocultural Studies (Deso) of ITESO and the School of Arts of the Jalisco Ministry of Culture, the annual meeting of communication of the arts and culture Periféricos joins the FCU with some activities on October 23, such as the presentation of the results of the second edition of the Peripheral Writing and short films of the Documentary Summer “The camera as map”, on October 23 from 9:00 to 14:00 hours, in the Blackbox.

On Tuesday, October 27, at 1:00 p.m., in the Garden Gallery (across from the Library), an Open Classroom session will be held with poet, essayist, and novelist Elisa Díaz Castelo, who will discuss her creative process, career, and inspiration. That same day, at 8:00 p.m. at Casa ITESO Clavigero, the writer will give a lecture entitled “Between the Body and Its Shadow: In Search of an Inhabited Writing,” in which she will share how she learned to recognize the corporeal component of language and how, in reading and writing, a link between language and anatomy is woven. Both events are co-organized with the Magis Chair of Literature.

Since 2020, the ITESO Environment project has included FCU activities off-campus for the enjoyment of local residents. In this edition of the festival, and in conjunction with the Professional Application Project (PAP) Weaving Generations and Fashion, the group Candela y Tumbao will perform at the bandstand in the Parques de Santa María neighborhood.

As for exhibitions, the festival program includes three shows. At the Galería Jardín (opposite the Library), you can already see "Out of Frame ," comprised of images created by students in the Creative Photography course during the ITESO International Summer Program. Under the guidance of British photographer Marysa Dowling, these pieces stem from a collective reflection on bodily freedom, ideals of beauty, and the way bodies are represented or excluded. It will remain on display until November 13.

The University Gallery (in Building V, the Culture and Art building) is presenting "It's Not Disability, It's Inequality ," an exhibition that shifts the focus from bodies to the environments that produce exclusion. The central question is not what a person lacks to integrate, but what our spaces, institutions, and ways of living lack to guarantee the full participation of all people. It is now open to the public and will remain on display until November 13.

Meanwhile, the ITESO Clavigero House is hosting the exhibition "The Charro and the China Poblana: Emblems of Mexican Identity ," comprised of works that highlight the attire of the charro and the china poblana, key figures in the construction of a new national identity, as well as their character and gallantry, which are showcased in photographs, paintings, clay sculptures, and clothing. On Thursday, October 22, as part of this exhibition, the lecture "Dressing Tradition: A History of Clothing in Mexico" will be held at 8:00 p.m. at the House, in which specialists will discuss early 20th-century clothing, its pragmatic uses, symbolism, and how it evolved toward playful and festive uses. The exhibition will remain on display until February 2027.

The festival will conclude with the dance performance " Emptying the Night ," directed and choreographed by Guyphytsy Aldalai, on Thursday, October 29, at 6:00 p.m. in the Pedro Arrupe, SJ Auditorium. This piece invites us to look inward and recognize all that also dwells within us: the shadow, memory, fragility, and what is yet to be born.

The full program, which includes these and other activities, can be found at
https://ite.so/2026 .

Tickets for the activities can be obtained, free of charge, at https://ite.so/boletos2026 .

A sustainable festival

In 2025, the ITESO University Cultural Festival received certification as a sustainable event from the Jalisco Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development (Semadet). “This certification encourages us to maintain sustainable practices, to explore how we can further reduce our festival's ecological footprint, and how we can motivate our audiences to adopt these practices on a daily basis,” says Maya Viesca, director of the Center for Cultural Promotion. This center works with the Operational Sustainability area of ITESO's Office of General Services to implement practices that reduce the environmental impact generated from the planning stages through the execution of the festival.