The name of the art that I saw at the CAM is 89 Huicholes. The
artist of this work is Santiago Sierra and was created in January of 2006. 89
Huicholes’ full size is 320 × 186 pixels and was created in Jelisco, Mexico. The medium chosen by Sierra is very
traditional. Even though photography is nothing new to us, knowing the context
of the piece makes the vibe seem much more modern.
In this
piece of art, all you can see is the back of many peoples’ heads, all in black
and white. The images are of different members of the Huichol people. Huichol
people are an indigenous group in Mexico, known to be poor and experience excessive
amounts of discrimination towards their religion and ethnicity. Taking pictures of these people’s faces supposedly takes
away a part of their soul, according to their beliefs. Knowing this, it becomes
known why only the backs of people are shown. Represented in this artwork are
numerous people wishing to keep their soul, as well as share their belief with others.
When I first learned this, I was very intrigued by this information and was
interested in the fact that the people shown in the photos are willing to share
their beliefs and ideas.
Santiago
Sierra, the artist, has a very unique style and technique that he displays in
89 Huicholes. He chooses to only use the colors black and white and to combine
many individual pictures to create one large piece of art. The background for
each person was a white or light grey color, perfect for highlighting the
darker light on the person shown in the photo. By using only these two colors,
the observer has a chance to look over the whole piece of art instead of having
one thing draw their eye. This technique reinforces the idea of souls by using
simple, eerie colors.
I believe
that the meaning and significance of this piece is to share personal beliefs. Believing
that their souls would be taken if a photo of their face was shared, informs
others on the different customs and the culture of the Huichol people. The
purpose of the piece is to note the discrimination that Huichol people have
constantly faced. By choosing this group of people, Sierra is helping to show
the effects of discrimination and make a name for these people.
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