Mythological imaginings

With Mythological Imaginaries, I began my exploration of conceptual art understood as a practice centered on the idea and process of the artistic project. This project marks a turning point in my artistic practice in terms of method and medium. I discovered that I love starting from a structure and, within it, enabling the infinite. Constraints can also enhance creativity. In Mythological Imaginaries, I explore the intersection of one culture with another.

The project was developed over two years. It all began when I visited Parque Colón in Guatemala City, Guatemala, in search of the best piñata maker I could find. The structure of the project was to provide the piñata maker with a written description of certain figures from Greek mythology, along with a printed image of an ancient vase or sculpture featuring the character. The instruction was to create a life-sized piñata based on his interpretation of the mythological creature’s characteristics.

To me, these piñatas are ephemeral sculptures that, on one hand, represent the creativity and ingenuity of the piñata maker and, on the other hand, allow for a contrast between the imagination of someone from a country with a Mayan cultural heritage, such as Guatemala, and the imagination of ancient Greece, a symbol of Western civilization.

The photographs of the created sculptures were made in public spaces of Guatemala that have references to classical antiquity or to the mythological figure.