MACAY

Today a group of us went to the Museum of Contemporary art in Merida. I am not much of a museum person, and so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The only museums I have been to are those for Science, the Salvador Dali exhibit in Philadelphia and the ones I have seen here. I have never been to a contemporary art museum before however Ash explained to me that this museum was NO different than the contemporary art museums in the United States. As I have written about before everything in Merida is reminiscent of the US; yesterday I even went to STARBUCKS! While Ash did say that the museum was just like every other contemporary art museum she had been to there were definitely some things that struck me as a little different. The first thing that was interesting to see was the fact that there were paintings in there by Francisco Castro Pacheco who also painted the murals for the Palacio de Gobernador. It was interesting to think that we are living in the same time period as a man who painted the large murals for that state building that will likely be there for a very long time. He has not only shown his work in the Contemporary Art museum but has made an impression in part of the history of the Yucatan.

A piece of artwork which I am used to seeing was the artwork done by Gina Novendstom called “White Headline”. This was literally some white heads behind a wall, therefore making a white (head) line. This struck me particularly because of the struggle I have been having with being white in a country where I am clearly an outsider. The interpretation of this artwork can be taken many ways; however I believe she is trying to say that whites dominate the headlines. It was an extremely literal way of saying it, but to me that stood out more than many of the other artworks which may have been more subtle.

Another exhibit within the museum which was interesting to me was the artwork of Benjamin Dominguez. His painting titled “El hombre que mira el infierno del otro” really struck me. It was a painting of a priest looking at a man with a snake tattoo. It again represented the duality which all human’s posess (look at previous post on the palacio). This duality seems to be something many artists play on including Dominguez and Pacheco. The reason I believe so many artists represent duality in their works is because the struggle between two sides of an individual is something that people including myself deal with everyday. I believe that this painting is a man looking at the other side of him, the side that cannot come out as long as he is a priest due to social regulations. However, the balance between both sides of a human is necessary and without both sides I don’t believe you can truly flourish as an individual. From here, Dominguez’s exhibit got quite interesting, in one painting there was a bondaged woman “riding” a priest. In my opinion this still represents the struggle that Dominguez may have as a person between 2 sides of himself. Not that he is a priest, nor a person interested in bondage but these two polar opposite beings represent a struggle within himself.

So maybe the fact that this contemporary art museum was no different than any contemporary art museum is actually not all that important. The fact that these works are in THIS museum is the more important theme. If Dominguez’s exhibit was in a museum in the United States I do not think I would ever make the connection to a duality that I have learned to associate with Latin American cultures. However, duality exists within all humans, not just one group of people and that is an important thing to remember. My duality here in Mexico is complex. I am clearly an outsider, someone who does not fit made obvious by my hair, and skin tone and accent however I don’t want to be seen as one. I want to be able to survive and live in Mexico as people who actually live in Mexico do. However, this is an impossibility so each day I have attempted to not be seen as such a tourist, and be seen more as an individual interested in a different culture.