The Munal delves into the imaginary that surrounds the figure of the indigenous woman

The exhibition Disputing the gaze: Visual imaginaries of indigenous women, at the National Museum of Art (Munal), curated by specialists Andrea García and Ariadna Solís, immerses the public in the construction of the historical perception of femininity, from the beginning of the Conquest of Mexico to current times.

“The topic is a very complex one; we seek to unravel a collective imaginary: racism, machismo, prejudices, discrimination and manipulation, which were built in various stages, from Spanish colonialism to the creation of our national identity and the symbols that many institutions use today,” commented Andrea García, who, along with Solís, is an expert at the Aesthetic Research Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Ariadna Solís explained that, “for this reflection we are based on artistic representations and contexts, but also on contemporary issues with pieces by current artists who reacted to the historical construction of Mexican women.

“We cannot give an idea of ​​how they should look, but rather how they are currently seen by women who seek to vindicate them from those values ​​to which they were imposed.”

Among the aspects with which current society portrays indigenous women are that they are almost always naked, they use shawls or huipils, they are mothers, they go barefoot or they carry some rural product. All these ideas are not mere questions of historical portraits, but true constructed myths, the experts explained.

The exhibition consists of 148 works by 84 artists, including Tina Modotti, Diego Rivera, Luz Osorio, Nahui Olin, Lola Cueto and Natalia Toledo. It is divided into four cores: Reimagining an origin, where the construction of the mythological figure of the indigenous woman is explained, first, through historical figures such as Malintzin; the first portraits of miscegenation; the use of castes, and other figures that link femininity in the territories of native cultures.

Engendering the Earth represents women as givers of life and analyzes their role in motherhood. Here you can see pieces that link native peoples with fertility, both as creators and producers of natural goods: there are baskets with fruits or vegetables, which give that vision of being protectors of childhood and, at the same time, ties and restricts them to that function.

In Revestir la inheritance, clothing and the relationship with clothing are analyzed; even, how their way of dressing has been eroticized and the meanings behind rebosos, huipils or looms that are an inextricable part of the idea we have of indigenous women, which are also part of their identity.

Finally, in Reconquer the image, the meaning of the female figure is addressed. From symbols of the protective woman, such as the logo of the Mexican Social Security Institute, to its vision as a symbol of rebellion, for example, the one used on the snails of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

“In this last module we wanted to address that more modern and contemporary vision; that is why we included pieces intervened by women. Returning to this vision has become stronger and more forceful since the second half of the 20th century. That is why we call it ‘Reconquer’, since we are experiencing a process in which meanings and links have changed in this regard. We learned to look at a very different vision of how these myths that expanded in Mexican golden cinema were established, for example,” commented Andrea García.

“The figure of the indigenous woman is very complex, and for us it was essential to reimagine ourselves and think about the contemporary debates on the matter. The case of Malintzin and Luz Jiménez, for example. It is not only to stay with the monolithic figures, but with the current ones that today work in critical perspectives that have led us to reimagine the role of women before and after all the processes,” said Ariadna Solís.

He added that “the proposal for the exhibition was made in a year, although we had already been talking in an analysis circle about the need to reflect on the stories of these characters and how these myths were built.”

The exhibition Disputing the gaze: Visual imaginaries of indigenous women, It is presented on the second floor of the Munal (Tacuba 8, Centro Historico neighborhood).

The entrance cost is 95 pesos. Children under 13 years of age, people with disabilities, students, teachers and older adults enter for free upon presentation of their current ID.