XOLOITZCUINTLES IN THE REALM OF NEPANTLA
Nepantla is a word that was coined by the Nahuas that literally means, "in the middle of things". I often say that I paint from the realm of nepantla and in this blog, I will explain what I mean by this.
BODEGON SAGRADO NO. 1 LIMITED EDITION GICLEE PRINT OF 50 $295.00USD
From the history books and codices that I read in Mexico, I learned that five hundred years ago in Mexico, there was a dog that would be buried with our ancestors to be guides into the afterlife. This dog had the power to decide whether the deceased could have their souls released in order to cross from one realm to another. Depending on the type of death, the xolos took the deceased to a transformative place, a nepantlic place (in the middle of things), called, Itzcuintlan, where these particular canine lived. They were called xoloitzcuintles.
"PERRO SAGRADO NO.. 2" LIMITED EDITION GICLEE PRINT OF 50 $295.00USD
I began to use this dog in my paintings to talk about ancestral, generational trauma related to shame. Shame is a painful feeling of regret, self hatred and dishonor and ultimately leads to violence and the self destruction of the person who suffers from it. In order to overcome shame, there must be a killing off of this toxic self that no longer serves us. And so the xoloitzcuintle became a tool in my narrative paintings to show the audience this important spiritual process of healing and renewal. See "The Blessing" to find out how I used this dog to do this.
"PERRA SAGRADA NO. 1" LIMITED EDITION GICLEE PRINT OF 50 $295.00USD
Albrecht Dürer's artwork called, Study of the Hands of an Apostle, inspired me to paint, "Perras Sagrada No. 1" . I wanted to transmitt the idea of the sacredness of this canine and the fact that it was sometimes sacrificed in rituals of our ancient ancestors.
To find out more, watch my Online Art Exhibit "PERROS SAGRADOS: A JOURNEY INTO THE SACRED"
which was recorded live out of my concept gallery, Galeria Nepantla out of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico. In this video, I will discuss the intersection of nepantlic art, neomexicanismo, and spiritual feminism in contemporary mythology. Explore how these movements have influenced my work and how I've used the Mexican xoloitzcuintle dogs as a metaphor for the human experience.
Let's embark on a journey through Nepantla together.
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