Hanna B.
Mexican Culture
Curatorial Rationale
The theme of my exhibition revolves around Mexican culture. Being half Mexican, I fell in love with the country, its culture, and nature ever since I was young. My intention is for the viewers to get a glimpse and to learn about the very different aspects of Mexican culture. My biggest inspiration for the exhibition was the country itself. Talking to people about certain topics and issues, walking through the cities, exploring the countryside, and learning about the history of the country every time I would visit showed me how rich the country is in terms of culture and traditions.
Being also a feminist, I took a lot of inspiration from the Mexican surrealist artist Frida Kahlo and focused on a lot of sociocultural issues present in Mexico through a feministic lens. Not only Frida Kahlo’s views on Mexican society were very inspiring to me as I also took many stylistic and artistic inspirations from her artworks, such as “Gemelas”, “Lupita”, and “La Loteria Del Feminismo”. This special connection to Frida Kahlo was represented in the studio “Gemelas” where I aimed to portray the spiritual and cultural connection between the two of us.
When it comes to the composition of the exhibition, I want the paintings to tell the story of Mexico, while also educating the viewers on ongoing issues. To the left I placed the pieces that connect to the Aztec history of Mexico, followed by the paintings that connect to culture, nature, and traditions. Moving on to the right one can find the artworks that connect to the ongoing social issue of feminism and gender equality such as the artwork “La Loteria Del Feminismo” which focuses on how women still don’t have the same status and power as men, especially in the lower classes.
While the common theme is Mexican culture, there is one specific image that was used throughout all the artworks in order to connect them all - the Mexican national flowers. The Mexican flowers have a significant meaning to my Mexican family, which is why I wanted the Mexican flowers to be found in each piece as it adds a lot of personal connection and meaning to the paintings.
My favorite artwork when it comes to technique is “La Virgen de Guadalupe”. The medium used for this painting was oil and acrylic paint on canvas. The use of oil painting allowed me to take more time while blending, which is also why this painting took me the longest time to finish. The mediums used for this exhibition are mostly acrylic or oil paint on canvas; however, I also tried to play around with other mediums such as clay and paper mache in “La Cara De La Cultura”. Overall, I tried to create harmony through the use of vibrant colors. I tried to play around with the sizes of the paintings, to show the diversity of the culture. While most of the big paintings are portraits, “La Loteria Del Feminismo” is also one of the biggest pieces in size. However, it includes 16 miniature images that were painted with acrylic paint, which is why this studio was the most challenging one.
I want the viewer to experience a piece of Mexico and to be able to see how I view the country through my own thoughts, feelings, and interpretation of the different topics. From religion to history and Aztec culture, back to nature, and customs, I want people to learn more about the country. I would like for people to see Mexico from a different perspective and to eventually fall in love with the cultural values and traditions through the use of art.
La Bandera (“The Flag”)
Acrylic paint on canvas
30 x 40 cm
In the lower part, an Aztec male can be seen while an eagle is seen in the upper half. The color palette, where red and green are most dominant, including the symbol of an eagle eating a snake, were chosen as these can be found in the Mexican flag. According to legend, the Aztecs were told by God to settle down and build a city wherever they saw an eagle eating a snake on a cactus. While the eagle represents good and right, the snake is a symbol of evil and sin.
Lupita
Acrylic paint on canvas
30 x 36 cm
In the lower part, an Aztec male can be seen while an eagle is seen in the upper half. The color palette, where red and green are most dominant, including the symbol of an eagle eating a snake, were chosen as these can be found in the Mexican flag. According to legend, the Aztecs were told by God to settle down and build a city wherever they saw an eagle eating a snake on a cactus. While the eagle represents good and right, the snake is a symbol of evil and sin.
La Cara De La Cultura (“Face Of Culture”)
Acrylic paint on paper mache and clay
22 x 17 x 7.5 cm
Masks have always played a big role in the culture and indigenous history of Mexico, so I wanted to combine those two aspects into a single mask. The typical skull masks are very famous and part of the many traditions for “El Dia De Los Muertos”. The left half of the mask shows an Aztec mask, which represents the indigenous history of Mexico. The abstractness, asymmetry, and vibrant color palette of this work was inspired by ‘“The Weeping Woman” by Pablo Picasso.
Cactus Al Atardecer Con Sol Amarillo
(“Cacti With Sunset and Yellow Sun”)
Oil pastels on white vellum
30.5 x 43 cm
This studio is supposed to represent my memories from when I would go on road trips through Mexican deserts when I was younger. I wanted to portray the beauty of rural Mexican landscapes and their nature that I observed outside of my car window. The drawing technique using short wavy lines, the placement of the objects, and the use of warm colors was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s “Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun”.
Talavera
Oil paint on canvas
50 x 40 cm
Talavera” is a traditional style of ceramic pottery in Mexico that came originally from Spain. While this is a colorful glazed earthenware common all around Mexico, the white-glazed Talavera with blue design holds a lot of significance for me, as it has its origin from my hometown Cholula. The painting has various elements from Mexican culture such as dried chilis, the marigold, and the tablecloth with the typical Mexican design.
La Virgen De Guadalupe (“Our Lady Of Guadalupe”)
Oil and acrylic paint on canvas
40 x 50 cm
Da Vinci's work "Mona Lisa" was my main source of inspiration. He created harmony between humanity and nature which influenced my work. I aimed to combine the cultural aspect of Mexican culture, with another component - religion, as the majority of the country is Catholic. While the focal point is a woman representing La Virgen De Guadalupe, the figure is surrounded by the national flowers of Mexico such as the dahlia, marigold, frangipani, and gladiolus.
Gemelas (“Twins”)
Acrylic paint on canvas
45 x 60 cm
I painted a double portrait of me and Frida Kahlo, inspired by “Las Dos Fridas” and appropriated the image of a double portrait. The subject of my painting was Frida Kahlo and myself to portray the spiritual and cultural connection between us. Just like her, I am also half German and half Mexican and she has always been an inspiration. We both face opposite directions, as it represents me looking into the future, while she is facing the past.
La Loteria Del Feminismo (“The Feminist Lottery”)
Acrylic paint on Canson and Mexican fabric
50 x 70 cm
The lottery is a traditional game of chance in Mexico, where every card has an image and a name. The saturation of the cards and the symbols in between the images have a lower saturation and get darker going downward. This represents how women in the lower social classes still don’t have the same power and status as men, while in the higher social class women are starting to fight for feminism and against the oppression of women.
