Arte Al Día Highlights the Artworks of Part II of El Dorado: Myths of Gold
Arte Al Día Highlights the Artworks of Part II of El Dorado: Myths of Gold
The art website writes that the exhibit includes works by artists of the Lambayeque civilization and artists from the Greater Chiriquí region.
Americas Society opened Part II of El Dorado: Myths of Gold, an exhibition showcasing artworks by more than 60 artists that challenge, reinforce and question the continuity of the myth of El Dorado into the present.
The exhibition brings together more than 100 objects and artworks that explore the myth as a foundational narrative of the Americas. It includes paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, engravings, and videos that offer new interpretations and questions about the myth from a hemispheric lens. Since the invasion of Europeans to the Americas, rumors spread quickly about a kingdom filled with gold, driving conquistadores to find it. Despite never being found, the mythical El Dorado defined the continent as an empty land up for grabs. El Dorado: Myths of Gold brings together artworks and artists that engage with the myth, sometimes offering a critical view and a path of resistance.
Part II highlights the work of artists like Carlos Motta, whose practice delves into themes such as gender and sexuality, colonialism and political activism. In his video Nefandus Trilogy, he presents two individuals on a boat and two monologues, one in Spanish and the other in Kogi, an indigenous language, reflecting upon different forms of oppression of Indigenous peoples as a result of colonization. Part II also showcases the work of Mathias Goeritz, a German emigree living in Mexico who incorporated gold in monochromatic pieces to evoke a sense of awe.
The exhibit includes works by artists of the Lambayeque civilization in the northern Pacific coast of Peru as well as metal disks and plaques by artists of the Greater Chiriquí region, geographically spanning what today is Costa Rica...