This article is from the May
2001 The Mexico File newsletter.
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The Mummies of Guanajuato
The Galería Arte Moderno de
Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico, opens an intriguing exhibition of paintings
by the American artist, MG, on June 7, 2001. It is titled “The Mummies of
Guanajuato.”
Mesmerizing, these mummies
linger in the viewer's consciousness. Each mummy has its own haunting
expression. One appears to be crying, the next laughing, another sleeping
serenely, and some are petrified in their agonizing moment of death. Spending
time with them staring back at you with their skin, hair, eyes, and patches of
clothes intact is both eerie and thought provoking. The “Accidental
Mummies,” as they were referred to by the Discovery Channel, were the
inspiration for the American painter MG's Las Momias de Guanajuato
exhibition – The Mummies of Guanajuato.
MG began painting the
mummies following a deeply moving visit to the Museo de Las Momias in December
1999. “As I painted each mummy, I thought on the possibilities of their
lives...who had they been? After days and days of studying each mummy's bone
structure, I began to see similarities to a few of my friends. The matches of
the mummies to living humans are not intended to be exact; they are solely
‘what ifs.’ Even knowing the ‘facts’ of these mummies lives; where they
lived, where they worked, their family history, how they died...their essence is
still far from reach. The living visages are a reflection of that; the
impossibility of knowing a soul during life, and the deepening ambiguities after
death.”
The mummies are paired with
portraits of living people in a
series of twelve paintings, each approximately 27" x 39" (70cm
x 100cm). Additional paintings will also be on display. This will be the
self_taught artist's first solo exhibition. MG's representative, Jesse Lambdin
says, “Reactions to MG's work have been overwhelmingly positive. This show is
an amazing start to what promises to be a brilliant career. Considering Las
Momias Mexican theme and the fact that all work was completed in Mexico, I am
extremely pleased that the series will have its first exhibition in Guadalajara.
A strong possibility exists
that the exhibition will travel to other parts of Mexico and then to the US.”
MG was born in Providence,
Rhode Island, in 1975. At present, MG lives and paints in a small town on the
Pacific coast of Mexico. A sample of the artist's work is available for viewing
at
http://www.gallerymg.com
jesse@gallerymg.com
. “Las Momias de
Guanajuato” opens June 7 and closes June 30 at Galería Arte Moderno de
Guadalajara.