Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - The inaugural exhibition of the Oficina de Proyectos Culturales (OPC), Davis Birks: Paradise in Process, is a project that examines the recent history of Puerto Vallarta through the lens of artist Davis Birks. Birks invited other artists, architects, and urban planners to collaborate on specific works of art for the opening.

Puerto Vallarta is a transforming city with changing demographics, surging urban development, and a dramatically fluctuating tourist count. This exhibition will examine various facets of life in Puerto Vallarta, past and present, and will at the same time attempt to create a dialogue with the public.

Among the fifteen installations that artist Davis Birks is creating for the exhibition, a number of them will directly involve the public.

The Proyecto de Recuerdos (Remembrance Project) will allow visitors a glimpse of the past through collected memorabilia, documents, and photographs from 20 Puerto Vallarta families; Nosotros, El Pueblo (We, The People) will collect the public's hopes and desires for the development of Puerto Vallarta in book form, to be later presented to City Hall; Cajón México (Mexican Crate) is a parklet designed by architects Oscar Moran and Raul Henderson, Jr., within a standard sized parking space, aiming to achieve a balance between artificial and natural - a small green public space in an urban environment.

Employing the contemporary art practices of installation art, sound art, intervention, and land art, Davis Birks: Paraiso en Proceso will inaugurate the new OPC space and will utilize not only the gallery space, but also the existing garden areas.

Oficina de Proyectos Culturales (Office for Cultural Projects, or OPC) is an independent non-profit arts organization dedicated to fostering dialogue through exhibitions, round table discussions, public art and arts education programs. OPC works with artists, architects, curators, academics, and writers who explore ideas that shape our city and to develop cultural programming that is firmly rooted in Puerto Vallarta, yet international in scope.

Davis Birks was born in Seattle and moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after completing his studies at Arizona State University. Birks settled in Guadalajara in 1987 and returned to Puerto Vallarta in 2005. His exhibitions include major museums and galleries in Mexico, the United States, and Europe. His work can be found in the collections of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Guadalajara.

Collaborators include: Luis Echeverria, Edson Gomez, Raul Henderson, Jr., Mary Koruga, Arturo Montero, Oscar Moran, Ana Olivera, Heidi Padilla and Jorge Ramirez.

The OPC wishes to thank the Barlow Family for the generous donation of the use of the building. OPC would also like to thank our generous donors: Rita Cain and the Perez family; Abel Villa, Hoteles Buenaventura; Vallarta Centro; Mike Hickman, Casa Vallarta Interiors; Terence Reilly and David Schwendeman, MexLend Mortgages; Bob Price, Vallarta Botanical Gardens; Sergio Curiel, Vida y Jardin; Linda Ellerbee and Rolfe Tessem; Jose Alberto Reyes, Multi Publicidad; Juan Diego Ramos, Madrigal Guadalajara; Andres Villaseñor, Villaseñor Aluminum and Glass; Tito Ernesto Gutierrez; Maria O'Connor, Hugo Gutierrez Reynoso, Trina Johnson, and Anonymous donors.