Propaganda-type carpet graphics

The Universidad Centraomericana (UCA) in Antiguo Cuscatlán in San Salvador commemorated the 20th anniversary of the killings of Jesuit professors through fabulous carpet designs.

Today, Monday November the 16th, is the anniversary of the killings of nine Spanish Jesuit professors by the death squads (sponsored by the governing Republican party) on campus during the civil war.

The civil war happened between 1979 – 1992. These assassinations took place in 1989 in the context of a capital city of San Salvador single and final guerilla offensive that led to the signing of the peace agreements by both sides-FMLN guerillas and the Government of El Salvador army on the 16th of January of 1992. Since then El Salvador has been a democratic and peaceful country aiming at reconstructing its international image.

In these pictures we see the university community working on propaganda carpets set-up along a road that goes through the gardens and buildings.

My main focus of this post is to show the beautiful typo/graphic executions with a simple technique of heavy grained salt mixed with colourant.

Carpet under construction

Hand-made grafica

Nuestro Ahora / Our Today

Campesino

XX Anniversary

Segundo is the name of one of the Jesuit martyrs

A quote by I. Ellacuría, another of the martyrs

Detail

Me and my baby Yax

Back to the office

After Beijing and before heading off to San Salvador

Artworks swap

A Bo Zhang, quien es una “print-maker” o grabadora en papel, le gustó mi trabajo y a mi el de ella, así que hicimos un intercambio de pinturas o literalmente un “trueque”. Les quería mostrar cuales intercambiamos.
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Bo Zhang, artist-print-maker, liked my work and I liked hers so we did an art exchange. Wanted to show you what we exchanged.

Treasure 3-1

Treasure 1-2

Green Child

Macaw Mountain

CAFA Museum website publication

Aquí está el link e imagen de pantalla del website del Museo CAFA que ha publicado algunas imágenes de las exhibiciones. Ahi pueden también ver el resto de exhibiciones que hubo, como por ejemplo Greengaged, fundado y organizado por las británicas Sophie Thomas y Annie Chick.
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Here is the link and screen shot of CAFA Museum’s website that has published some images of the exhibitions. You can browse through the other exhibitions that took place, like Greengaged, founded and organised by British designers Sophie Thomas and Annie Chick.

Exhibition view

CAFA Art Museum Website

Chen Jian

Chen Jian es un artista acuarelista cuyos trabajos ilustran las diferentes minorías étnicas chinas. El visitar la casa de él y su esposa fue fabuloso ya que viven en una vecindad de artistas con casa + estudio integrados y construidos estilo “warehouse” (bodega) en el 2007.  Pueden ver un detalle del diseño del espacio abierto en un desplegado de la revista World Art abajo para la cual fue entrevistado el mes pasado. Fue un honor el conocer a esta pareja de artistas y conocer su galería en el Distrito de Arte 798 en Beijing.

Chen revisó mi trabajo y piensa que el trabajo de los artistas debería resaltar la cultura nacional como lo hace mi trabajo envez de buscar influencias externas nórdicas como a veces lo hacen algunos. Estaba impresionado que a pesar de haber estudiado en Inglaterra mi trabajo no tenía esa sensibilidad femenina que a veces posee el arte y diseño inglés sino que más bien era más “masculino” a través de las líneas o contornos negros.

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Chen Jian is a water-colour artist whose works portray the different Chinese ethnic minorities.  Visiting his and his wife’s home was fabulous as they live in an artist quarter with built-in home + studio warehouses built in 2007.  You can see a detail of the open space layout in the World Art magazine spread below where he was featured last month.  It was an honour to meet them through Bo and see their gallery at 798 Art District.

He saw my work and thinks Chinese artists should enhance their national culture like my work does instead of looking for foreign northern influences.  He was impressed on how despite having studied in England my work didn’t have a feminine feel that English art and design sometimes posseses but was more “masculine” he said, through the black lines.

Chinese hot-pot

Tuve un maravilloso almuerzo ayer con Bo y una pareja de artistas chinos, graduados de CAFA por cierto, lo cual fue toda una experiencia: una gran olla de carne y vegetales hirviendo que se “tiran” adentro (la olla está dividida en dos: agua hirviendo y agua de chile hirviendo) y cuando están listos se van sacando uno a uno y comiendo con una salsa mixta (ver foto abajo) que se tiene al lado en un plato hondo. Ésto acompañado de leche de soya: muy muy rico!

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Had a wonderful lunch yesterday with Bo and a couple of Chinese fine artists which was an experience–a big pot of boiling meat and vegetables that you put in and when ready you just take out one by one and dip it in this mixed sauce that you have in a bowl on the side. Very very good! Accompanied by soy milk!

This is the bar were you mixed the different ingredients with the off-brown sauce.

Este es el bar donde se mezclan los ingredientes con la salsa café claro.

My choice of ingredients: cauliflower paste (dark green), mushrooms, celery, coriander, sesame oil and crushed nuts.

Dessert.

The artist couple who graduated from CAFA and own a gallery at 798 Art District, from left to right: Chen Jian and Tian Li. Bo is sitting on the far left.

Ingredients ready to go in the boiling bowl.

The pot is split in two: boiling water and spicy chilly-water.

Hasta la vista Beijing!

Dejo China hoy. Ha sido una experience enriquecedora tanto personal como culturalmente. Gracias de nuevo a mi patrocinador por hacer posible este viaje, a mi familia Tyler, Flavia y Yax por esperar pacientemente mi regreso y apoyarme desde casa y a amigas como Ling y Bo Zhang y Nancy Kozikowzki quienes han proveido el sabor local a esta experiencia.

Me estaré quedando en Los Angeles con mi cuñada por unos días así que sigan husmeando para más arte por venir.

Hay más de mi viaje que lo que he publicado en este blog, especialmente lo que vi en las exhibiciones y el Congreso Mundial de Icograda. Tengo videos y fotografías que subiré cuando llegue a Copán. Así que sigan leyendo y siguiendo la evolución de un Nuevo Lenguaje Maya.

Mientras tanto, mientras vuelo, Tyler va a subir más de mis aventuras todavía en Beijing de ayer (viernes).

¡Ni hao Beijing!
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I am leaving China today.  It has been an enriching experience both personally and culturally.  Thanks again to my sponsor for making this trip possible, to my family Tyler, Flavia and Yax for waiting patiently for me to come back and rooting from back home and to friends like Ling & Bo Zhang and Nancy Kozikowzki who have provided the local flavour to this experience.

Will be staying over in L.A. for a few days with sister-in-law Elisa so keep peeking for more interesting art to come.

There is more to my trip than what I have posted on this blog, specially what I saw and heard at the exhibitions and Icograda World Congress. I have videos and stills that I will upload when I get to Copan, so keep reading and following the evolution of a New Maya Language.

In the meantime, while I fly, Tyler will upload more of yesterday’s (Friday) adventures still in Beijing.

Ni hao Beijing!

The Great China Wall

Esta fue mi visita en fotos. Voy a subir videos cuando llegue a casa.
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This was my visit in pictures. I will up-load some videos when I get home.

One World One Dream

Climbed this whole segment running, I have video to prove it!

With German friend wife of an Icograda member.

Breath-taking.

Tough job to build! 200-years it took.

Proud mother with son.

Jade factory

Visité la más grande fábrica de jade en China camino a la Gran Muralla China. El nivel de tallado era increiblemente detallado: son verdaderos maestros, aunque en realidad el diseño dejaba mucho que desear.
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I visited the largest jade factory in China on the way to the Great China Wall.  The level of carving was unbelievably intricate–they are true masters, but the design left a lot to desire.

No mask or gloves on this all man-made process.

The shell a symbol of good luck bringing in money-money-money.

A "beautiful" jade-carved Mao Zedong forbidden palace stroke ship.

Dingling Imperial Tombs

Visité el sitio de las Tumbas Reales de la Dinastía Ming el jueves 28 de octubre. Las trece tumbas de los emperadores estaban localizadas a orillas de la Montaña Tianshou en el norte de Beijing. El sitio fue cuidadosamente seleccionado de acuerdo al Feng Shui.
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I visited the site of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs on Thursday 28th of October.  The tombs of the thirteen emperors were located on the southern slope of Tianshou Mountain north of Beijing.  The site was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui.

Phoenix & Dragon stone carving

Copper doors.

Little elephant seating.

You can find the same detail on doors through-out.

A view from one of the stellaes.

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