12 x 12 Artist Talk: Maria Gaspar
Featured image
Maria Gaspar, Oblation for Another Parade, 2009. Papel picado, newspaper, duct tape, latex paint, masking tape, leather, plywood, glitter, ribbon, fabric, and cardboard; overall dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artistAbout
Artist Maria Gaspar discusses her work and ideas during this informal gallery talk. Please join the artist for an After Party in the Café following the talk for further conversation, and enjoy images and music selected by the artist. The After Party ends at 8 pm.
Maria Gaspar's performance project at the MCA, Oblation for a Parade, is inspired by how the artist feels her Mexican heritage has become commodified. She, along with other circus-like performers and musicians, lead a funerary procession throughout the museum during the October First Fridays, collecting people to join them along the way. During the collaborative march, the artist parades a brown, sculptural shell, reminiscent of a burial mound. This shell, which the artist feels represents the draining of authentic culture from society, particularly from persons who are brown, remains in the gallery for the month. Other remnants of the parade, including flowers and confetti, are left in the gallery and naturally decompose to brown, exposing and challenging the ability of symbols to signify a culture.