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.