In Focus: Amalia Mesa-Bains’ “Circle of Ancestors”

Amalia Mesa-Bains is known for transforming the art of the altar. While some of her earlier pieces follow more traditional altar practices, over time her work has expanded the concept of what an altar can be. Archaeology of Memory is a beautiful retrospective organized by María Esther Fernández, the Artistic Director at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum, and Laura E. Pérez, Professor of Chicanx, Latinx and Ethnic Studies and Chair of Latinx Research Center, UC Berkeley. The show debuted at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in February 2023 and has since been presented by El Museo del Barrio and the Phoenix Art Museum. The current iteration is at the San Antonio Museum of Art. 

As you might imagine from the title, Archaeology of Memory is a deep and rich exhibition layered with personal ephemera as well as found, natural, and crafted objects. Walking into each room is like walking into a new world, though there are strong themes that connect the spaces, most notably the idea of larger-than-life women who refuse to be contained by the restraints of society. As the mother of a strong-willed daughter, it was therapeutic to see these depictions and learn the stories behind the works. 

Because the show is so bountiful, there are a multitude of rabbit holes one could dive into and perspectives from which to view and consider Mesa-Bains’ oeuvre. With this in mind, I narrowed in on one particular idea rooted in her 1995 work Circle of Ancestors.

The altar installation features a circle of eight chairs, each representing a female figure, including relatives of the artist, Judy Baca, an anonymous migrant worker, and the artist herself. Each chair back has been replaced with a mirror, and in Mesa-Bains’ unique style, from behind each mirror an image emerges. Each chair seat is adorned with objects. At the center of the circle, a dozen of lit candles sit on the floor. The environment evokes a sense of convening; a gathering for dialogue in a space with a spiritual undertone.

As I stood in front of the work Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, came to mind. Last year I wrote about Chicago’s piece in relation to contemporary North Texas women artists working in themes of women’s societal roles and how society treats women. But, what connects Chicago’s piece to Mesa-Bains’ Circle of Ancestors is that both works honor important women and set a space for them to gather. However, where Chicago has set a formal and intricate space, Mesa-Bains has created an informal, communal space, in part by removing the table altogether. 

The phrase “a seat at the table” comes to mind… a phrase often used by historically excluded groups who have been systematically and systemically kept from positions of power. But rather than demanding a seat at a table that was never meant for us, Mesa-Bains prompted me to consider if we should be asking the larger question of “Do we even need the table?”

What is the function of a table? Various tables show up throughout Mesa-Bains’ installations: a vanity, a table for one person to engage in self-care; a desk, a table for one person to engage in research and scholarship; a laboratory table, a table intended for experimentation. Yet curiously, at this circle where voices come together, there is no table. I think of all of the formal meetings I have had in workplaces, where the table serves as a functional object on which to present information or to take notes, but in another sense, it acts as a barrier between people. Chicago’s Dinner Party, while beautiful and impactful, ultimately has a finite number of place settings. Mesa-Bains’ Circle of Ancestors, has the ability to expand over time, one need only pull up their own chair to join the conversation.

Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory will be on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art through Sunday, January 12, 2025.