Painter reinterprets mythological and archetypal women from the notion of duality

The exhibition Xochiquétzal, Venus and Aphrodite: From corn to passion is a retrospective of more than 30 years of work by the Mexican painter Marco Zamudio (Mexico City, 1973), in which the transformation of his creative process and a reflection related to female figures from both mythology and other legends can be seen. .

In interview with The Day, The artist explained that among the 60 paintings that make up the exhibition there are three main figures: Xochiquétzal, giver of life, but also of death, and, of course, Venus and Aphrodite. I wanted to reinterpret these archetypal women, because I really like to encompass the ideas of duality: life and death, which are part of the same reality..

In this exhibition, which brings together almost all of her work, three decades of ideas, concepts, religious reflection, transformation and recognition of the power of women come together, she added. Another piece is a contrast to the classic vision of Medusa, the gorgon killed by the Greek hero Perseus.

“I portrayed the myths, which were part of the daily life of ancient people. For example, I made Aphrodite more delicate, sublime, introspective, more corny; Venus is multicolored, it is fertilization, and the gorgon represents strength. It is also a tribute to these Greek myths that were the first that my mother taught me.

In Mexico we have double standards, and I wanted to criticize that; In addition to reflecting on these goddesses, I wanted to rescue part of the academic drawing. There are some traditional techniques that were reflected in these pieces and that today are being recovered as a trend in countries like Italy and China.said the painter.

Among the pictorial processes that Zamudio captured in his paintings are realism and chiaroscuro. Furthermore, “I carried a common thread: violence, which can be seen in the positions of women who react to an environment that attacks them.

My way of working is to pause reality. All those portrayed in my works are there because I saw in them some gesture or reaction that led me to want to stop time around them.

This retrospective is, he explained, a well-connected exhibition, since there are pieces with more than 20 years of difference that dialogue with each other and complement each other. For Marco Zamudio, this exhibition is actually a great speech about how his creative process has been transformed.

“The new pieces emerged from visions that I have complemented by talking with foreign colleagues. Now, with the presence of technology, it has become easier for us to exchange points of view with other creators. Here we will find drawings, oil paintings and mixed techniques.

I really liked the invitation that David Teapila Valencia, in charge of this venue, made me, because he was very serious in his proposal and allowed me to place 60 works. Maybe they may seem like many, but it is because the style of my work is serial, and in this sample we put eightexplained the painter.

Another aspect that Zamudio recovers is respect for death, his reflection on the end of life: I am not religious, but I believe in the principle of eternity. One comes from it, lives and then we return. Being mortal is something very complex and sublime..

For the artist, being aware of death “is terrible, because it is a path that sometimes we forget is there, but when you remember it, you respect it. Sometimes we even think that this day cannot happen to us, but it is there.

“We may think that tomorrow does not exist, but it is also very cruel to tell ourselves: ‘take advantage of time, because it always ends.’ That’s exactly what I thought to do this retrospective,” he concluded.

The exhibition Xochiquétzal, Venus and Aphrodite: From corn to passion will be open to the public until March 14, 2025 at the House of Culture of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico Tlalpan (Triunfo de la Libertad Street 9 Bis, Tlalpan Centro neighborhood, Tlalpan mayor’s office), from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Free entry.