Dead interesting
Mexican exhibition ‘MEX4: Preservation Of The Occult’ brings together diverse artists and their works
Photography, sculpture and mixed-media work come together in a Mexican art exhibition, “MEX4: Preservation Of The Occult”, and viewers can expect a cornucopia of feelings. Four of Mexico’s celebrated visual artists in the form of Hector de Anda, Sylvana Burns, Adolfo Perez Butron and Maribel Portela have brought with them a total of 81 works of art that will be displayed at the National Gallery of Thailand on Chao Faa Road until Aug 31.
The art event, a collaboration between the Embassy of Mexico in Thailand and the National Gallery and which is part of the Bangkok Biennial 2018, promises to attract and enlighten the audience with one of Latin America’s most mystic yet charming countries where art is a way of life.
The most senior of the four contemporary artists de Anda, who has named his exhibits “Urban Altarpieces”, has used in his work discarded materials of all shapes and forms to bring about a synergy between the street and spiritual worlds.
California based female photographer Burns has also added to the artistic mix by showcasing a provocative distortion of female beauty in her black and white series of photos titled “In-Between/Difference”.
Meanwhile, Portela brings to the table in her exhibit “Impermanence”, a collection of paper sculptures describing the germination process and plant growth, of course, with an artistic twist that is open to interpretation by viewers.
Another artist who has used mixed media to the fullest has been Butron. In his “Demons (Chamucos)” display, he surprises with colourful photography of ancestral masks that co-exist in today’s world.
To better gauge the work that went into the exhibits, Life sat down for a candid chat with two of the four artists, visual artist de Anda and photographer Burns.
The 60-something de Anda has over four decades of experience under his belt in installation, sculpture and painting. He has brought to Thailand exhibits that preserve the memories of places they originated from. A number of pieces of wood he used to paint on were originally found at construction sites.
“The pieces I have used as a surface for my mixed media art work were discarded, so they came in all sorts of materials you can imagine,” remarked the distinguished looking Mexican artist.
“For me they are eye witnesses of what transpires on the streets of Mexico City. My art work are shadows lurking in the dark as the materials I use are sourced from areas where they have probably been moved around for years.
“This is the philosophical side to my artwork. I am using layers of paint and mixed media on material that already has a sense of supernatural in it. That piece has already a story because it has travelled from urban constructions around the city of Mexico.”
De Anda said his abstract painting is open to interpretation by the viewers, so “in this manner one’s imagination can run wild”.
Speaking for the group, he added: “The exhibition has the word ‘occult’ and so the audience might think in a particular direction, but what I want to say is that our work is open to interpretation. Each of the artists were under no pressure to follow a certain theme. The focus is on diversity, so each of us has brought to the forum a different perspective, if it closely resembles what you understand of the word occult is open to interpretation.”
Speaking of her work, Burns, 23, who shot in 35mm format photography, said her series of photos are about the distortion of the body image especially for women, dealing with reflections with the female nude and creating different forms within forms using contrasts and lightening.
“My work raises questions about what it means to be a woman and the representation of being a woman through the female gaze which is my gaze because I think the art world has been predominantly been men and the male gaze throughout art history. However, I think that this is changing now. Women today have a lot to say about who we are.”
Burns describes her photography as indirect self portrays; her emotions at that moment that she is fighting within herself, but that she can still see that. “It is something occult, something mine, but it is hidden. I portray this through other models, and I think this is the same with other artists as well,” said the budding photographer.
“My work is about redefining the female gaze. Redefining what you as a female or male think about a woman.”
Meanwhile, when de Anda works, he allows his subconsciousness to run free so that he can use the outcome of this experience in his art work.
“I don’t follow trends on how other artists work and rather listen to my gut feelings when I begin on a project. My work differs in every series I do depending on how I am feeling at the time. I am very emotional and reflective of how I feel at that precise moment.”
The work de Anda brought to Bangkok was no different as he explains: “I brought eight of the 40 pieces to Thailand. When I was working on them, I lost all sense of time and space, totally emerging myself in my work.
“That moment is very special because I feel I am living in another universe. I try to capture that moment in the piece I am working on. I cannot procrastinate when I am in this type of trance because the feeling never returns.”
“MEX4: Preservation Of The Occult” is on view at The National Gallery until Aug 31. The gallery opens from Wednesday until Sunday, 9am -5pm. Tel: 02-281-2224.