My artwork seeks to diversify the conversation about death by investigating
mortuary landscapes along the Mexican-Texas border.
Death in these landscapes reflect transculturation and identity rather
than “Dance macabre” which is a stereotype cemeteries have acquired in European and American societies throughout time.
The mortuary landscapes or cemeteries are considered “Mexican” and do not
follow the layout of a regulated and minimalist American cemetery.
“Mexican” cemeteries belong to the poor social class of border towns
which upon buying the land they have freedom to create within a space an
installation to fill a void where life and death
coexist.
In this space, there is a continuous dialogue with a sterile death. It is constituted by objects that represent encapsulated memories which never change. The objective of these spaces is to fill a void with representations of
life. Even though this space and its practices of rituals have been passed on from generation to generation, transculturation is present. In every society and civilization, the conquered, the poor and the inferior have always been forced to acculturate. Due to the fact that these societies never seek to represent them, the poor relay on transculturation in order to identify themselves within these entities: the superior culture and their culture.
The “Mexican” cemeteries have indigenous, Spaniard, American and European ideologies.
Since ancient civilizations, there has always been a need to fill a void
by creating a space to commemorate the dead. The most marvelous monuments of ancient
civilizations have been tombs. In
our contemporary world, mortuary landscapes have become commercial entities
where identity is nonexistent.
More so, the focus on portraying death as a reminder of our defects and
weaknesses has made it possible for people to not only be afraid of these
spaces, but go through life seeing death as an opposing force.
The loss of an opportunity to cope with death and to fill a void left by
a love one could possibly disengage us from our very own nature.
As an artist, I seek to continue this conversation not for a mere
fascination with the topic but with concern. These spaces portrayed have no value in
our society yet they hold an interaction with death that is aesthetically
appealing for its complexity in metaphors and symbolism that reflects truths
about life. Octavio Paz when
describing the death of the modern Mexican, said death reflects the
gesticulations of life. Even
though it is life objectivized, it is a space that has managed to create a
representation rather than to seek nonexistence.
mortuary landscapes along the Mexican-Texas border.
Death in these landscapes reflect transculturation and identity rather
than “Dance macabre” which is a stereotype cemeteries have acquired in European and American societies throughout time.
The mortuary landscapes or cemeteries are considered “Mexican” and do not
follow the layout of a regulated and minimalist American cemetery.
“Mexican” cemeteries belong to the poor social class of border towns
which upon buying the land they have freedom to create within a space an
installation to fill a void where life and death
coexist.
In this space, there is a continuous dialogue with a sterile death. It is constituted by objects that represent encapsulated memories which never change. The objective of these spaces is to fill a void with representations of
life. Even though this space and its practices of rituals have been passed on from generation to generation, transculturation is present. In every society and civilization, the conquered, the poor and the inferior have always been forced to acculturate. Due to the fact that these societies never seek to represent them, the poor relay on transculturation in order to identify themselves within these entities: the superior culture and their culture.
The “Mexican” cemeteries have indigenous, Spaniard, American and European ideologies.
Since ancient civilizations, there has always been a need to fill a void
by creating a space to commemorate the dead. The most marvelous monuments of ancient
civilizations have been tombs. In
our contemporary world, mortuary landscapes have become commercial entities
where identity is nonexistent.
More so, the focus on portraying death as a reminder of our defects and
weaknesses has made it possible for people to not only be afraid of these
spaces, but go through life seeing death as an opposing force.
The loss of an opportunity to cope with death and to fill a void left by
a love one could possibly disengage us from our very own nature.
As an artist, I seek to continue this conversation not for a mere
fascination with the topic but with concern. These spaces portrayed have no value in
our society yet they hold an interaction with death that is aesthetically
appealing for its complexity in metaphors and symbolism that reflects truths
about life. Octavio Paz when
describing the death of the modern Mexican, said death reflects the
gesticulations of life. Even
though it is life objectivized, it is a space that has managed to create a
representation rather than to seek nonexistence.
