Tatasantiago Mataespañoles
Museo Nacional de Arte, La Paz, Bolivia, Feb 22–Apr 3 2011
In January 2011 I was asked by Edgar Arrandia and Max Jorge Hinderer to contribute to an exhibition titled Principio Potosi.
Principio Potosi examined the visual, political and economic history of the town of Potosi in south-central Bolivia. The discovery of silver during the early 16th century by Spanish conquistadors led to a massive mining effort, resulting in Potosi being the wealthiest town in the world for a few dozen decades. Legend has it that the streets of Potosi were paved with silver during public holidays. The amount of silver mined in Potosi was enough to build a bridge across the Atlantic.
The history of Potosi is one of great triumph and lingering anguish; once the fabled mountain of silver was depleted, the Spaniards abandoned the town. What remains now is a shell of its former self, a ragged, threadbare city surviving on historical tourism and Lonely Planet.
The title of my piece translates to "Saint Jacob, killer of Spaniards". This is based on an obscure silver sculpture found by the curators of Principio Potosi in the museum of Huelva, in Spain, depicting an indigenous Saint Jacob killing a Spanish pilgrim. The sculpture dates to 17th century Cuzco, Peru.
Tatasantiago is how the Andean natives call Saint Jacob. The barrage of religious and proselytising imagery that the counter-reformation spawned in Europe arrived in South America with the Spaniards; and they left no stone stone unturned with their indocrination. A popular image at the time was called Santiago Matamoros, or Saint Jacob, killer of Moors depicting Jacob astride a white stallion in the act of murder. This would be quickly adapted to Santiago Mataindios, or Saint Jacob, killer of Indians for a bit of local flavour.
The idea of Tatasantiago Mataespañoles is hence two reversals in one: the appropriation of the saviour-figure of Saint Jacob as a brown-skinned, dark-haired native, in distinction with the invaders, and a inversion of the enemy-figure, for Tatasantiago kills Spaniards.
The histories of photography, mirrors, and silver are deeply intertwined and this is what I wished to reflect on in these images. The multiple transformations that take place in the making of a photographic image: those within the camera, and those without; inversions, and the subsequent reflections that occur.
These photographs are made with a hybrid process following photogravure and gum bichromates. The images rest on copper sheets plated with old Bolivian silver currency (called the Bolivar). The actual images were shot in the Teatro Municipal, La Paz, with a crew of local actors.
Positives were made with gum arabic and ammonium bichromate or with sheets of acetate. These were then transferred onto the copper-silver plates.
The plates were then etched in baths of ferric perchlorate and nitric acid.
La Paz, 2011
In January 2011 I was asked by Edgar Arrandia and Max Jorge Hinderer to contribute to an exhibition titled Principio Potosi.
Principio Potosi examined the visual, political and economic history of the town of Potosi in south-central Bolivia. The discovery of silver during the early 16th century by Spanish conquistadors led to a massive mining effort, resulting in Potosi being the wealthiest town in the world for a few dozen decades. Legend has it that the streets of Potosi were paved with silver during public holidays. The amount of silver mined in Potosi was enough to build a bridge across the Atlantic.
The history of Potosi is one of great triumph and lingering anguish; once the fabled mountain of silver was depleted, the Spaniards abandoned the town. What remains now is a shell of its former self, a ragged, threadbare city surviving on historical tourism and Lonely Planet.
The title of my piece translates to "Saint Jacob, killer of Spaniards". This is based on an obscure silver sculpture found by the curators of Principio Potosi in the museum of Huelva, in Spain, depicting an indigenous Saint Jacob killing a Spanish pilgrim. The sculpture dates to 17th century Cuzco, Peru.
Tatasantiago is how the Andean natives call Saint Jacob. The barrage of religious and proselytising imagery that the counter-reformation spawned in Europe arrived in South America with the Spaniards; and they left no stone stone unturned with their indocrination. A popular image at the time was called Santiago Matamoros, or Saint Jacob, killer of Moors depicting Jacob astride a white stallion in the act of murder. This would be quickly adapted to Santiago Mataindios, or Saint Jacob, killer of Indians for a bit of local flavour.
The idea of Tatasantiago Mataespañoles is hence two reversals in one: the appropriation of the saviour-figure of Saint Jacob as a brown-skinned, dark-haired native, in distinction with the invaders, and a inversion of the enemy-figure, for Tatasantiago kills Spaniards.
The histories of photography, mirrors, and silver are deeply intertwined and this is what I wished to reflect on in these images. The multiple transformations that take place in the making of a photographic image: those within the camera, and those without; inversions, and the subsequent reflections that occur.
These photographs are made with a hybrid process following photogravure and gum bichromates. The images rest on copper sheets plated with old Bolivian silver currency (called the Bolivar). The actual images were shot in the Teatro Municipal, La Paz, with a crew of local actors.
Positives were made with gum arabic and ammonium bichromate or with sheets of acetate. These were then transferred onto the copper-silver plates.
The plates were then etched in baths of ferric perchlorate and nitric acid.
La Paz, 2011