Latest news with #Mesoamerican
Hypebeast
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Mercedes-Benz Looks Inward in 'BE-LONGING' Exhibition
Summary The Mercedes-Benz Art Collection is launching its international exhibition series withBE-LONGING, its first stop in Mexico City. Housed at Espacio CDMX in the heart of Chapultepec Park, the showcase pairs works from the brand's own collection alongside contemporary pieces by artists living and working in Mexico – a sweeping mosaic of affinity, belonging and identity in-flux. From questions of memory and geography to body politics and vocation, the artists ofBE-LONGINGare threaded together by a particular flavor of freedom found in the slipperiness of identity. The scenography, helmed by Mexico City basedC Cúbica, enhances ideas of interconnectedness and multiplicity through a modular, open-ended design, pushing the presentation into an experiential realm. Highlights include Francis Alÿs' seminal'Paradox of Parxis I (Something Making Something Leads to Nothing),' a nine-hour ode to CDMX through the aperture of a melting ice block, and'El color de tus ojos (venus)' byEnrique López Llamas, whose surreal cowboy imagery evokes ideas of fragmented masculinities and embodiment. Additionally, Naomi Rincón Gallardo revives Mesoamerican fables inResiliencia Tlacuache, while speculative futures take center stage in'My future is not a Dream' byCao Fei. With upcoming installments in the series still underway, the inaugural Mexico City edition draws excitement for what's to come. In hand with exhibition itself, the collection has also launched an expansive programming calendar, inviting audiences to engagee with'multiple conceptual axes' ofBE-LONGINGto foster creative dialogue between global and local communities. The exhibition is now on view in Mexico City through August 31. For more information aboutBE-LONGINGand corresponding programming, check out the Mercedes-Benz Collection'swebsite. Read on for the full list of featured artists. Emma AdlerJane AlexanderFarah Al QasimiFrancis AlÿsLeonor AntunesPia CamilNicole ChaputClément CogitoreCao FeiDavid GoldblattWu HaoIsaac JulienAlicja KwadeEnrique López LlamasRobert MapplethorpeJorge Méndez BlakeZanele MuholiAnn-Kathrin MüllerBerenice OlmedoAnnu Palakunnathu MatthewChantal Peñalosa FongElodie PongNaomi Rincón GallardoBárbara Sánchez-KaneLerato ShadiDayanita SinghPamela SinghBuhlebezwe SiwaniMartin Soto ClimentTercerunquintoFrieda Toranzo JaegerTheresa Weber Espacio CDMXAv. de los Compositores 4,Bosque de Chapultepec II Secc, Miguel Hidalgo,11100 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Los Angeles Times
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Guadalupe Rosales crafts an analog Wayback Machine for a vibrant show at Palm Springs Art Museum
As an artist, Guadalupe Rosales is having fun, and she wants her audience to have fun too — and to think about what fun is and means. At least that sentiment, oriented toward pleasure and freedom, is what's telegraphed in the center of the Los Angeles-based artist's engaging and very timely solo exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum, where a checkerboard dance floor fills the central space. A makeshift DJ booth, assembled from a couple of upended shopping carts and some speakers, is at one edge of the checkerboard in the dimly lighted room, underscoring the general do-it-yourself ethos of Rosales' aesthetic. Motorized blue spotlights skitter across the floor and climb walls to the ceiling, where they rush past a pair of mirrored disco fixtures. These are not conventional 'Saturday Night Fever' spherical mirror balls but small rotating step-pyramids, doubled-up, flat sides pressed together one atop the other and then suspended, like mirror reflections of themselves. Teotihuacán meets Café Tacvba, a playful merger of ancient Mesoamerican civilization and a 1990s rock en español band in suitably fractured light. The '90s is the decade when Rosales, 45, entered her teenage years growing up on Los Angeles' Eastside. Like Teotihuacán and Café Tacvba, her exhibition looks into formative images and experiences from the past, glimpsed through a Chicana lens. (Women are prominent in the imagery.) She's gathered up ephemera — magazines, snapshots, lowrider bicycle parts, bandannas, street signs, keychains, newspapers, fuzzy dice to hang from a car's rearview mirror, feathers, fake flowers and more — and she's put them to one of two primary uses: Some form component parts of assemblage sculptures, while others are displayed in cases, like rare anthropological artifacts, or else tacked onto poster boards, like treasures from a teenager's bedroom. A side wall near the dance floor is papered with big blow-ups of joyful photographs showing jam-packed dancing at Arena, the massive, 22,000-square-foot former nightclub in Hollywood's old Union Ice building on Santa Monica Boulevard. Arena, like the adjacent club called Circus, was established by a couple of gay and Latino entrepreneurs as open-to-everyone party spaces — a radical departure during an era when discos were defined more by the vulgar discrimination of velvet ropes and vain bouncers policing entry. For people like me, who remember those clubs' heyday, even a memory of the name 'Union Ice' once prominently painted on the building's street wall flips into bitter irony, now that 'union' in daily American life has been purposefully shredded and 'ice' has become a thuggish term representing politicized, Gestapo-like cruelty. At an art museum, a dance club's once forward-leaning experience of scrappy social optimism — life and liberty fueling the pursuit of happiness — is enshrined as a necessary and valiant cultural value, which lends richness to Rosales' otherwise simple materials. The exhibition has four loosely thematic sections. In addition to the dance room, there's an introductory entryway, a gloomy nighttime space and a car culture gallery. The entry frames motifs that will ricochet through the exhibition, which is titled 'Tzahualli: Mi memoria en tu reflejo' (My memory in your reflection). Tzahualli is a Nahuatl word for spiderweb, a common metaphor for fragility, interconnectedness, beauty and, not least, potential entrapment. Rosales juxtaposes a wall of psychedelic party posters, glowing beneath blacklight, with a roadside shrine of flowers and votive candles remembering loss. They are laid at the base of a black wrought iron gate, which doubles as a portal between public and private realms and the inescapable suggestion of prison bars. Bandannas tied and knotted around the gate put a familiar symbol of individual liberation and civil rights resistance at the heart of the work. Behind it, a wide rectangular hole cut into a hot-pink wall offers a telling peek into the inner dance room. An eccentric fainting couch, the horizontal hole is lavishly embellished with plush pink tufted upholstery, like the tuck-and-roll interior of a sexy 1964 Chevy Impala, the ultimate 'Lowrider' in the movie of the same name. That upgraded car, jacked with hydraulics, could also dance, which may explain the little mirrored disco ball dangling within the narrow void of Rosales' sculpture. In a rear gallery, dark nighttime photographs are hung on walls painted black to denote the wee hours. They show fragmentary urban scenes — a few palm trees illuminated by the glow of an unseen automobile's headlights, the artist's bland backyard, some mute shops — but the images aren't compelling. A wall text speaks of the melancholy of returning home after a night of fun, but visually the mood is not there. Surely, they have personal meaning for Rosales' late-night excursions as an exploring kid, but for a viewer the shadowy imagery is merely obscure. More disarming is the car culture room, where high art and lowrider productively collide. A couple of big, brightly colored photographs of painted car hoods merge automotive details of swooping and jagged shapes with the look of abstract hard-edge canvases, a painting term coined by California art critic Jules Langsner in 1959 — the dawn of a distinctly L.A. aesthetic. Nearby, an eye-grabbing projection of 'found video' snatched from the internet documents a gasp-inducing, acrobatic quebradita dance contest held in a neighborhood parking lot. (It seems to be a church event.) The amateur video, like the recreational athletic dancing shown, celebrates a kind of homemade street art. The clip is DIY culture at its most satisfyingly vivid. By now, the spiderweb invoked as the show's title is pretty much in focus, with very different pieces in very different rooms nonetheless intertwined with one another. The exhibition's strongest individual objects are three mesmerizing 'infinity portals,' two on the wall and one on the floor. Rosales edged double-sided mirror glass with strips of shifting LEDs, which create a reflected illusion of depth cascading into visual eternity. One is framed in aluminum engraved with chain links and the words 'Lost Angeles' written in an elaborate font that zips between establishment Olde English 'Canterbury' style and illicit urban graffiti. Look closely, and 'Smile now, cry later' is etched into the clear glass below a suspended bandanna, a gently admonishing song lyric by Sunny and the Sunliners, the 1960s Chicano R&B group. The other two portals ruminate on the 1992 Los Angeles riots in the wake of the horrendous Rodney King police brutality verdicts, as well as furious demands for gay rights and survival help as the AIDS epidemic rampaged. One surprising element of the show is several engrossing display cases with zines and memorabilia of daily life during those fraught days. An archive of throwaways gets new life when presented as a natural history composed of cultural artifacts. Absorbing works built from archives are becoming increasingly prominent in the art world. The motif is built on such diverse precedents as Fred Wilson's sharply researched interventions into the establishment framework of museum storerooms and Elliott Hundley's dizzying collages of material pinned with long needles to panels, which position life's scraps somewhere between exotic butterflies captured for close study and therapeutic visual acupuncture. (An excellent Hundley solo survey is currently at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.) With this exhibition, Rosales is poised to join their ranks. Archival interests among artists may be residue of our tumultuously evolving digital age. As they say, nothing digital is ever permanently deleted, leaving everything open to revival and reassessment. That, too, dates to the 1990s, when personal computers became common household items, putting an infinity portal into almost every home. Think of 'Tzahualli' as a worldwide spiderweb. The show was organized by PSAM chief curator and interim director Christine Vendredi, her first exhibition since joining the museum staff last year. Disappointingly, there is no catalog, but fragments of the art's fun-drenched analog Wayback Machine are destined to live on in digital ether.
Metro
30-05-2025
- Science
- Metro
‘Gateway to the underworld' discovered beneath ancient temple
Hiyah Zaidi Published May 27, 2025 4:46pm Updated May 27, 2025 4:46pm Link is copied Comments An ancient pyramid in Mexico was found to contain liquid mercury and experts believe it may have been considered as a 'gateway to the underworld'. It's thought that this finding could suggest the existence of a king's tomb or a ritual chamber below one of the most ancient cities of the Americas. The Quetzalcoatl temple – also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid – sits in the ancient city of Teotihuacan, Mexico, and is thought to have been built around 1,800 and 1,900 years ago (Picture: Yasemin Kalyoncuoglu/Anadolu via Getty) It remained mysterious for many years, until in 2015, when researchers discovered a large amount of liquid mercury, which they suggested meant the structure was used to 'look into the supernatural world'. Mexican researcher Dr Sergio Gómez had spent six years slowly excavating the tunnel, which was unsealed in 2003 after 1,800 years (Picture: REUTERS/Henry Romero) In the excavation, they found three chambers at the end of a 300ft tunnel that sat almost 60ft below the temple. Near one of the entrances, they found a trove of artefacts which includes jade statues, jaguar remains, and a box filled with carved shells and rubber balls. And of course, they also found liquid mercury. This is not the first time liquid mercury has been found at an ancient site. Dr Rosemary Joyce said at the time archaeologists have found mercury at three other sites around Central America (Picture: INAH/Handout via Reuters) Dr Gómez suggests that the liquid may have symbolised an underworld river or lake. This idea is echoed by Dr Annabeth Headreck, a professor at the University of Denver. She told the Guardian that the shimmering reflective qualities of liquid mercury could have resembled 'an underworld river, not that different from the river Styx' (Picture: REUTERS/Henry Romero) She said: 'Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future. It could be a sort of river, albeit a pretty spectacular one' (Picture: Apolline Guillerot-Malick/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty) Over the next 16 years, Dr Gómez and his team excavated over 3,000 ceremonial and ritual artefacts and have now developed a comprehensive survey of the pyramid and tunnel using LiDAR scanners and photogrammetry. And a few archaeologists have contributed their knowledge of the pyramid site and its cultural significance to amplify their understanding of the site (Picture: DeAgostini/Getty) The temple of Quetzalcoatl is a monument which lies in the centre of the Mesoamerican Teotihuacan universe. It sits around 12 miles northeast of Mexico City in the ancient city of Teotihuacán. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, and receives around 4.5 million visitors annually. The Aztecs referred it as the place where the Gods were created, and the Quetzalcoatl is the third largest pyramid in the city (Picture: REUTERS/Henry Romero)
Scottish Sun
29-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Inside ‘gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds ‘toxic' secret that scientists ‘can't explain'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN ANCIENT pyramid thought to be a 'gateway to underworld' was discovered to contain a hidden secret. The historic site, located in an ancient city, is thought to house a supernatural secret. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Archaeologists have spent decades uncovering the temple Credit: Reuters 6 The discovery is believed to have supernatural connections Credit: Reuters 6 Liquid mercury was discovered at the site in 2015 Credit: Reuters Quetzalcoatl Temple in Mexico, also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid is thought to have been built around 1,800 to 1,900 years ago. During an excavation project researchers discovered large amounts of liquid mercury in 2015. Its something experts believe means the structure was used to 'look into the supernatural world.' They also believe its presence could indicate that a king's tomb or ritual chamber could be lying underneath the ancient city of Teotihuacan. The pyramid was originally unsealed in 2003, allowing researchers like Dr Sergio Gómez to spend six years excavating the tunnel. During this excavation, researchers uncovered three chambers at the end of a 300 foot tunnel. In addition to the liquid mercury, they also found artefacts like jade status, jaguar remains, and a box of carved shells and rubber balls. The tunnels and adjoining structures lie 60 feet below the temple. In their 16 years excavating the temple, the research team uncovered over 3,000 ceremonial and ritual artefacts. They have used their discoveries to create a comprehensive survey of the pyramid and tunnel using LiDAR scanners and photogrammetry. Liquid mercury is not an uncommon discovery - with Dr Rosemary Joyce saying that archaeologists had found the substance in three other sites around Central America. Its believed that mercury symbolises an underworld river or lake. Dr Annabeth Headrick agreed with this interpretation, telling the Guardian that the the qualities of liquid mercury might appear to resemble "an underworld river, not that different from the river Styx. "Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future. "It could be a sort of river, albeit a pretty spectacular one," Dr Headrick added. The Quetzalcoatl Temple is located around 12 miles northeast of Mexico City in Teotihuacán - the heart of the Mesoamerican Teotihuacan universe. Around 4.5 million people visit the temple - which is the third largest in the city - every year. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was listed on the World Monuments Watch in 2004 as tourist visitation led to the site's deterioration. More than a hundred human remains, which may have been sacrificial victims, were found under the structure in the 1980s. The Aztecs believed it was the place where Gods were created, with sacrifices being made as tributes. 6 The Temple is around 1,800 to 1,900 years old Credit: Getty 6 It is the third largest temple in the Teotihuacán region of Mexico Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
29-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Inside ‘gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds ‘toxic' secret that scientists ‘can't explain'
AN ANCIENT pyramid thought to be a 'gateway to underworld' was discovered to contain a hidden secret. The historic site, located in an ancient city, is thought to house a supernatural secret. Advertisement 6 Archaeologists have spent decades uncovering the temple Credit: Reuters 6 The discovery is believed to have supernatural connections Credit: Reuters 6 Liquid mercury was discovered at the site in 2015 Credit: Reuters Quetzalcoatl Temple in Mexico, also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid is thought to have been built around 1,800 to 1,900 years ago. During an excavation project researchers discovered large amounts of liquid mercury in 2015. Its something experts believe means the structure was used to 'look into the supernatural world.' They also believe its presence could indicate that a Advertisement Read more News The pyramid was originally unsealed in 2003, allowing researchers like During this excavation, researchers uncovered three chambers at the end of a 300 foot tunnel. In addition to the liquid mercury, they also found artefacts like jade status, jaguar remains, and a box of carved shells and rubber balls. The tunnels and adjoining structures lie 60 feet below the temple. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive In their 16 years excavating the temple, the research team uncovered over 3,000 ceremonial and ritual artefacts. They have used their discoveries to create a comprehensive survey of the pyramid and tunnel using LiDAR scanners and photogrammetry. Liquid mercury is not an Its believed that mercury symbolises an underworld river or lake. Advertisement "Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future. "It could be a sort of river, albeit a pretty spectacular one," Dr Headrick added. The Quetzalcoatl Temple is located around 12 miles northeast of Mexico City in Teotihuacán - the heart of the Mesoamerican Teotihuacan universe. Advertisement Around 4.5 million people visit the temple - which is the third largest in the city - every year. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was listed on the World Monuments Watch in 2004 as tourist visitation led to the site's deterioration. More than a The Aztecs believed it was the place where Gods were created, with sacrifices being made as tributes. Advertisement 6 The Temple is around 1,800 to 1,900 years old Credit: Getty 6 It is the third largest temple in the Teotihuacán region of Mexico Credit: Getty 6 It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 Credit: Reuters
