Mejengo.wood, Formica, acrylic. 2014-2011
Soccer table in the shape of the Central American map.
Concept:
The premise for this piece was: how to connect issues referring to politics, sociology and the sport that moves masses in the region: soccer.First, I made a list of things that are happening in the isthmus:
1- Migration in both directions : north and south
2- A relative disconnection of some countries in respect to others.
3- Unbalance of economic conditions and political situation.
4- Rivalries expressed in soccer, as national teams compete for a spot in the World Cup.
I decided to use soccer as the metaphor, and the geography of the region as the support or backdrop to this situation.Thus I came upon the idea of a soccer table in the shape of the Central American region.Not only would it express the rivalries, it would also show how he labyrinthine geography of this stretch of land, plays a roll.The piece would be interactive, and players would learn by playing, how hard it is for countries of the isthmus , to " play" ( interact, get in accordance) among them.
Social responsibility.9 pizza boxes with adhesive prints.2014.
Concept:
The whole region, from México to Colombia, is boiling with drug trafficking and all of its devastating consequences.The premise was: how to talk about this poingant issue without making it too obvious, redundant or inadequate ? For this piece I thought about reaching a lot of people,since it's a huge phenomena occurring across all the the social scope.
Communication strategy:
What does a pizza box do? IT CARRIES AN ITEM FROM POINT A TO POINT B.Its the perfect metaphor for what a drug trafficker does, transporting drug from its production site to its consumption place. Also thought the pizza box offered a lot of the qualities I was looking for: they have a great surface on which to print stuff.It also has a massive reach, given its popularity and the fact that there is home delivery.Having decided on this, I approached Pizza Hut here. My idea was that they could produce the boxes, and make a good use of their so call " social responsibility."
Initially, the people at Pizza Hut were very receptive. As soon as they took a second glance, it became obvious that this campaign was not something they could back up or support.I knew this in advance, but I wanted to have an email exchange with the marketing manager.The e -mails eventually became a part of this piece.
Chac Mool: wood and spray paint.113 X 75 X 140 cm .1996.
How to address the complex issue of derivative art, mainstream and peripheral cultures?
That was my departing point when planing to create a piece that would address this issue in an ironic, visual way.The power relation between hegemonic cultures and those considered dependent or peripheral, is also reflected in the art world: peripheral artist are always in peril of been labeled derivative.Mainstream artist may borrow from other cultures, and their work would always be " inspired" not necessarily derivative from these influences.
One of the most recognized artists of modernism, Henry Moore, sought " inspiration" in pre Columbian sculpture.He was stunned by the Chac Mool reclining figure, from the Maya's of Mexico and Central América.He did dozens of sculptures with this motive.He openly accepted having been influenced by these works, but the art world never saw anything irregular in this: after all, it was a British artist using something from an old culture of a remote place.The same had been done by Klee, Matisse and others.
In a tongue- in-cheek fashion, I made a Chac Mool of giant Lego bricks.The Legos are instantly recognized as an European invention...so it would be preposterous to even hint at the possibility that an actual Chac Mool made of Legos could have ever been found.The point I wanted to make was: if Moore has been able to appropriate the form, and get away with it, that meant I could appropriate the material ( Lego bricks) and claim that such a piece had been found somewhere in Mexico.
Hyper modernity ( Toos) 1998
Styrofoam,glass, wood, porcelain and video loop.
A few years ago, I came upon Gilles Lipovetsky's concept of Hipermodernity.This was the term he had coined for the time right after post modernity.He understood that the loss of faith and trust on certain social structures ( the state, the nuclear family, the work place as an institution etc) had driven man to pursue a new level of individualism.The desire for luxury goods and the exploitation of every form of pleasure available, is fueled by the media.Images of sexy women advertising everything from alcohol to fast food, assault the viewer incessantly.Hedonism is a goal and Narcisus has replaced Sisipho.
Concept :
I proceed to conceive a metaphor for the constant weakening of these social structures: I designed styrofoam ladders and scaffolds, porcelain hammers and glass hand saws.They all look " real" and we recognize them, but we also understood inmediately that they were just representations and were not " usable". On a monitor, I made a collage of videos banned in many countries in which women are presented as objects, expensive fast cars run furiously and sexual pleasure is a constant.
In 2003, I was invited to create a piece that depicted the problems faced by the wave of Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica.They suffer discrimination on a large scale and violence, to a minor degree.
Most of these immigrants come across the border, crossing through the mountains and forests north of the country.
Concept :
Ever since these inmigrants started to appear, I remember seeing these grasshoppers made out of woven grass leaves.They were elegantly designed from a single, long leave.Nicaraguan children would often sell them to car drivers at some streets.I saw in them a representation of the troubles and perils their journey here posses.I bought a bunch of them.
Next, I thought I would make a point of how little we knew each other, in spite of being neighbors.I came with a couple of questions that I would ask people, both Nicaraguans and Costaricans.It would be about national Heroes, a potent figure of identity in these parts of the world.
For the nicaraguans I would film and interview, the question was:
Do you know who Juan Santamaria is? *
For the Costaricans, the question would be presented in other terms:
Could you name Nicaragua's national heroe?
I then placed each monitor back to back, and played both sets of interviews on each one.The grasshoppers surround the monitors, as if coming out of them.
* Juan Santamaria is Costa Rica's national heroe.
