November 2 - December 28, 2024
From Liliana Bloch Gallery:
“A través/Through by Isaac Díaz references Día de La Cruz, a Salvadoran holiday celebrated on May 3rd. This holiday finds its roots in the Pipil culture, honoring the earth and the rainy season to come. Pipiles were once the dominant indigenous group in El Salvador. Today, only 2,000 Pipiles speaking Nahuat remain in the Izalco region. Very few admit to speaking the language and most do not wear Indian clothing but their influence remains indelible in Salvadoran society. They were massacred in a genocide perpetrated by El Salvador’s dictator Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, who murdered 30,000 men, women, and children in the 1932 uprising.
Pipiles had advanced knowledge of flora, medicinal herbs, and agricultural practices They venerated Nahua deities similar to those of the Aztecs such as Tlaloc, the Nahua rain god, whose depictions are found in ceramic sculptures and figurines. Pipiles prayed to Tlaloc for a bountiful harvest and gave thanks for the life they had been provided. Similarly, Día de los Muertos in Mexico celebrates the lives and achievements of ancestors. Both holidays use fruits and flowers to honor spiritual beings, all being gifts of the earth.
Diaz explores ideas of return and life cycles with his Salvadoran ancestry as a reference point. As rain comes back to nourish crops, it may not provide enough water. While the dead come back to us in November, they may still feel far away. Nature destroys and life grows again; humanity spirals out of control yet it could come to a place of peace.
Through ancient ancestral customs, Diaz sees the upcoming Latinx art outside Latin America. for Diaz, looking to the past guides us to the coming times.”
Reception: November 2, 2024 | 6–8 pm
Liliana Bloch (Memphis Street)
4741 Memphis Street
Dallas, 75207 Texas
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