March 08, 2007

The conquest of Amexica

Eduardo Villacis
Smoking Mirror
Ecuadorian artist Eduardo Villacis posits an alternative history following the landing of Columbus on the shores of the Americas. Instead of a European conquest of Aztec culture, Villacis envisions Columbus taken prisoner, his navigational tools examined and used to embark on an adventure to subdue and colonize a new world which will be renamed “Amexica.” This installation is a mock historical museum, complete with artworks, artifacts, and historical fragments of a vanquished people who once called their land “U-rop.” With this ambitious project, Villacis reflects on racism and the manipulation of religious beliefs as ideologies of conquest and as tools of deceit.Comment:  Since you can't visit this exhibit the way I'm going to, check out the large set of pictures online.

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