About 300 pieces that generate new perspectives and meanings in the understanding of Oaxaca popular art will make up the exposition Manos y Alma de Oaxaca, Esplendor de Muchos Pueblos (Hands and Soul of Oaxaca, Splendour of Many Peoples). The exhibit opens today in the National Museum of Popular Cultures (Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares) in Mexico City.
The exhibit, which will be open until next July 17, presents a vision of the heritage, tradition and creativity of popular indigenous, afrodescendent and mestizo art in Oaxaca.
In the ceremony, at which Oaxaca Gov. Gabino Cué was present, Alejandra Frausto, general director of popular cultures of the federal Culture Secretariat, said that “this exhibit is more than an exhibit; it is the presence of the state of Oaxaca in the museum.”
“We are showing, through he Culture for Harmony program, you can see prints made by more than 10 thousand little kids, that they made in public Mixteca plazas with the artist Demián Flores,” said Frausto, showing that there will also be various Oaxacan folklore activities.
The goal of the exposition is to rescue and nurture the rich cultural and artistic production in Oaxaca. The exposition gives us a brief view of the artistic and cultural sense of Oaxacan popular art.
Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, federal secretary of culture, praised the artistic and cultural richness of the state and maintained that it had one of “the most incredible diversities of the country.”
The governor of Oaxaca celebrated the opening of the exhibit and said that it presented “wonderful pieces, that talk about history, tradition and the cultural richness of the state of Oaxaca.”
He stated that an “Archive City” would be opened soon in Oaxaca, and that “it will be, without a doubt, the second most important archive in the country, because a large part of Mexico’s history will be concentrated there, as well as Oaxaca’s contributions to national history.”
Pottery, ceramics, textiles, basketry, woodcutting, metalwork, among others, are among the creations that are highlighted in the museum
Parallel to the exhibition, there will be activities including artisanal and agroindustrial fairs, in order to contribute to the recognition of the intangible cultural heritage of the state of Oaxaca.
