MEXICO CITY – In the heart of México City is the Palace of Fine Arts, a wonderful place where classic masterpieces are preserved and new work is on display.
The exterior of the museum is much like the other beautiful buildings in the area – it was harmoniously decorated with stone statues and carvings in the walls that were visually pleasing to the eye, even from afar.
The building itself is a piece of art and similar architecture can be spotted nearby. At Youth Journalism International’s 2024 Global Conference in México City, students took many photos with the museum in the background.
Inside, Corn and Industry, the first exhibition, was work by artist Damián Ortega. The name is rather self-explanatory as it featured a Mayan creation myth with corn as the origin of humanity and the influence of industrialization.
At the entrance of the exhibition is “Pato Bosch,” which emphasizes our dependence on contemporary gadgets. It featured the head of a wooden duck with the body of an electric belt sander.
After swiftly moving onward, we were met with a loud noise from behind that resembled a construction site. We quickly realized that the duck was vibrating and moving around because the sander was connected to an electric supply and was activated.
“Pato Bosch,” or Bosch Duck, left a lasting impression and it was a perfect introduction to the remaining unexpected and original artworks we were about to see.
‘Tortilla Construction Module,’ by Damián Ortega. (Mayama Opare/YJI)
The first pathway led to artwork located in the corner named “Harvest.” It was 26 suspended metal wires that were under individual spotlights, which caused much confusion as to what it may represent.
But after reading the explanation on the sign – which explained that the lights created shadows that looked like letters of the alphabet – the wires were suddenly much more meaningful. It was meant to showcase how the emergence of language is analogous to the tools used in agriculture and that language promotes exchange and communication, ultimately fostering economic development.
Even though the work was not decipherable without peeking at Ortega’s secret meaning, it was the collective opinion of our group that guessing what the artist intended was an enjoyable experience and contributed to understanding one of the joys of visiting museums.
Another huge masterpiece that immediately caught our attention was reminiscent of an explosion. Tools such as hammers, axes, and wrenches were bursting out from the center. The sharp edges of each tool coupled with the explosion illustrated a negative tone.
One interesting observation is that there were lines taped to the floor and staff were informing visitors to stay out. But later, after seeing a video where Ortega explained how he wanted people to view the work, barring visitors felt ironic.
In the video Ortega said he initially planned to have people stand in the center and examine how each object would point at the observer and be positioned at eye level. It was unfortunate to see how people were unconsciously not getting the full experience, but it was remarkable to see how interpretations of a single artwork could be so diverse.
We came upon one piece that we instantly recognized as the main artwork of the exhibition.
A large crowd was swarming around it, desperate to take photos, making the space very crowded.
The first detail that I noticed was that there were cylindrical spaces that were not taken up by the white spheres, although it wasn’t clear whether this was intended by Ortega. It was also very clear that the balls of plaster resembled water droplets, which the description on the wall proved correct.
The name “Warp Cloud” is a perfect description for how the curtains of spheres were distributed in space to make a bigger molecule. When inspected further, you can see that the horizontal and vertical lines can represent air and earth respectively, making the artwork an illustration of nature using intricate patterns and clever use of space.
The final artwork was a Volkswagen Beetle car dissected and suspended in mid-air to display its many parts and showcase what the vehicle looks on the inside. It felt obvious to connect the car to the theme of industrialization, but the question of what it meant to break the car apart did not have an immediate answer.
It turned out that the specific model of car was a symbol of mass production since it was known for being efficient and affordable — especially in México because it was produced in local factories for many years.
After hearing about México’s connection to the Beetle, his choice of car made perfect sense. It felt amazing to become immersed in Ortega’s thinking process and understand México within the accurate context provided by the artist.
Damian Nam is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Seoul, South Korea.
