Zapata. In the entrails of your urban body, you live, we live.

A century after Emiliano Zapata’s murder in Chinameca, his character and the revolution he led are still alive. Zapata is alive in contemporary printmaking. His image and symbolism are still a real inspiration for several artists. These creations refer to more recent revolutions and struggles: gender equity, the struggle over the caretaking of the land, freedom of speech, and finally, making liberty and justice a given to all.

       This show gathers a series of artworks made regarding Zapata from a print point of view, some traditional techniques and some innovative stamps, processes, gests, transdisciplinary, tridimensional, participative, experimental, sustainable, ephemeral, edible, and portable pieces. These are works in the battle that expand and discuss how we understand the iconic images of the concept of Zapata as a farmer’s leader and the celebrations of his legacy; they talk about this either in a direct, symbolic or abstract way to represent or deconstruct, question and reinvent it. We are also reminded of this country’s strong tradition of printmaking: the versatility, accessibility, and evolution of techniques. These artworks demand the viewers have an open mind to engage in a journey of live graphic arts.

       Museo Nacional de la Estampa, aligned with its métier dedicated to the conservation, promotion, and research of graphic arts, presents Zapata live in a contemporary printmaking group show where we are invited to explore how the image of this leader is depicted in contemporary graphic arts.

 

Yunuén Sariego