To speak frankly, I didn’t know much about performance art before this assignment and subsequently have never really had an interest in it. On top of that, performance, in general, was never really my forte. However, I am attempting to set these hindrances aside and be open. The lecture in class was helpful in trying to understand this whole new world of art I hadn’t known about. The presentation done by Jessica Wimbley was also helpful, especially when she spoke about the use of her identity and her DNA testing. A month before this class I had also done a similar test and started thinking on how I might incorporate some aspect of identity into the performance.
Then I got thinking about the time of year it is right now. For the past week, I have repeatedly dressed up as a catrina and have gone to different events in order to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Ever since I was a young girl, this tradition has become an integral part of who I am and how I connect to the fellow people of my culture. This tradition can be traced back to the days of the Mexica (Aztecs). These indigenous peoples would hold a month-long festival in honor of the goddess Mictecacihuatl (Lady of the Dead). As Spanish colonization fell upon Mesoamerica, ways of life changed and so too would traditions. The Spanish initially viewed these festivals as evil and needed to be stopped, however, this deeply rooted event continued to survive under the conquest. The Catholic Church would infuse practices and religious beliefs into the event.The Church also did minimize the celebration to two days, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These days are sought to celebrate the lives of children and adults who have passed away. A way of accepting death as part of life and finding comfort in knowing that your loved ones come back a couple days out of the year to be with you again. The bright marigold flowers and abundance of food and offerings remind us that though we dress as skeletons, we are actually celebrating the memories our ancestors.
The next step would be how to incorporate this idea into some sort of performance. This is where it kind of got tricky for me and my lack of experience. I decided to look at different artists to seek inspiration. I found Asco, an art collective that emerged from the Chicano civil rights movement. They rejected the murals in barrios that played on tropes of Mexican art. Their use of performance combats tropes by taping themselves wall, a display of what actual Mexicans today look like. I also came across Guillermo Gomez-Pena who is a performance artist in Mexico. His art is derived from Chicano culture and its hybrid identity of American and Mexican cultures. One of his pieces he delves into the idea of fetishized identities. He dresses up in a sort of hyper Chicano style, inhabiting stereotypes. Both of these influences got me thinking about culture and how we are seen by others. Also, how aspects of our culture are seen as commodities to be bought and sold.
The last influence on my performance piece is the issue of cultural appropriation. The controversy over cultural appropriation has been something I've gone back and forth over. On one hand I do want people to feel welcomed and to be able to celebrate alongside us but on the other hand I'm uncomfortable with the idea of major corporations making a profit off of the tradition. I try to understand where people are coming from and usually it's from a place of admiration, however, sometimes it is disheartening watching people buy these "costumes" at Walmart or Target. As its popularity has risen so has the commercialization of the tradition. More and more masks and face stickers are sold to imitate the catrina look. I've decided to paint my face in the traditional catrina make-up look and attempt to transfer the paint onto a mask. The incomplete transfer onto the mask symbolizes a partial, incomplete experience of celebrating Dia de los Muertos. The very idea of a mask, to just throw something on quickly and go, is the opposite attitude new people should have about the holiday. I'm open to more people celebrating alongside me, but doing research, learning from those within our community, supporting our local businesses is way more of a mutual benefit to both parties.
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