Description
Artist/Maker: Menchaca Studio (since 2010)
Object/Materials and Techniques: Fiberglass Sculpture decorated with Fine Crystals Beads
Date: Created in 2019
Dimensions: H. 115 cm. x W. 150 cm. x L. 251 cm. / Weight 80 Kg.
Art style: Sculpture / Huichol Art / Mexican Art / Modern Folk Art
Elaboration time: 1 year
Current Location: Artist’s collection in Mexico City
Curator’s note: ‘Transcend yourself into the mystic world of Menchaca Studio and the traditional stories of the Huichol culture.’
Praised for the opulent blend of the ancient Mexican spirit with the contemporary vision, Menchaca Studio consciously chooses to put in the spotlight the strong and agile jaguar, one of ‘Mexico’s most enduring symbolic animals for more than three thousand years‘, according to Dr. Nicholas Saunders (Senior Lecturer at the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, School of Arts, University of Bristol).
Based on Dr. Saunders’ bibliography ‘…beautiful but deadly, the jaguar till today, amongst Mexico’s indigenous people, has retained a tenacious grip on the human imagination…this impressive beast…is identified with sorcery and magic, and regarded as the spirit-helper of shamans and sorcerers, as well as the most dazzling symbol of priests and kings…being regarded in mythology as the ‘master of animals’, and spiritual lord of the powers of fertility in the natural world…Native Americans regard humans and jaguars as spiritual equals…every man carries the jaguar within himself…and every jaguar may be a man in disguise’.
Within this framework, Jaguar from the Menchaca Studio collection, as a genuine artwork of the Mexican Huichol tribe, emerges from within achieving a strong bond between the reality and the divine. Jaguars -in popular with Huichol tradition that has survived through thousands of years- are the messengers of Tatewari, the god of fire, whom the Huicholes call jaguar Mayetse, and has infinite power in devouring the failing people’s spirits. These animals are the guardians of the sacred vows that the ancient shamans took during their initiation years.
In the same way to the entirety of Menchaca Studio’s total output, so too the fiberglass Jaguar sculpture is conceived and handcrafted in collaboration with a selected group of Huicholes, the native Huichol Indians, members of the pre-conquest community of Mexico’s remote Sierra Madre Occidental region.
Capitalizing on the traditional technique of Huichol Art that draws upon both the bead by bead embedding by hand and the powerful motifs of imagery, the authentic Huichol Jaguar sculptural piece, apart from acting as a homage to the artistry and distinctiveness of hand-craftmanship of Huicholes, further combines a vibrant colour pallet to form an attractive mosaic that interweaves with the ancient symbology of their millenary Huichol art and its shamanistic traditions.
By means of a process in which it communicates with their ‘spiritual world’, the artwork with its sacred character, on one hand, powerfully incorporates their immortal culture, belief and profound knowledge with regards to nature, history and cosmology. On the other, it carries a sense of welcome vigor and a compensating largeness of effect reflecting the animal’s supernatural strength and magical powers.
Thoughtfully designed and worthy of the feline’s reputation being the most masterful hunter, the graceful outlines of the sculpture’s corpus in potential motion mirror the intense and conscientious action exerted by the jaguar, and his natural talent for hunting on land, up trees and in water. In fact, someone could say that it acts out the moment of stasis just before his attack somewhere in the depths of the tropical rainforest.
So dominant in shape and size, standing upon a display-base that gives the impression of a throne-platform, the grand animal sculpture definitely upscales any space where placed or exhibited. Deceptively sensational in appearance, and synchronously distinctive with a modernist take, along through its vivacious colourful fine crystal beads and intricate pattern details, Menchaca Studio Jaguar inevitably thrusts itself into attention magnetizing the viewer at once.
It surely is the team work of Menchaca Studio creators and artisans which has given a highly contemporary interpretation to the long-established genre of Huichol art that ancient artistic practices and modern aesthetics, all masterfully come across in suchlike one-of-a-kind unparalleled piece of sculpture. As a result, Menchaca Studio Huichol Jaguar oeuvre succeeds in contracting timeless cultural traditions while effortlessly revealing a whole new impressive world of modern folk classiness.
Discover on the |’n Art| gallery online platform the importance of this most majestic of felines in the Arts and Cultures of Mexico through the Menchaca Studio impressive handmade authentic work, as masterfully delivered by Huichol people.
Important Notation:
- Most of these Indian Art pieces are exclusive and one-of-a-kind, made once in a lifetime, so if you desire to acquire any of the ones displayed on the |’n Art| gallery online platform do not hesitate to do it!
- Each Menchaca Studio piece is totally unique. In that respect, the item that eventually will come into your possession may differ slightly from the item pictured.
- With strong commitment, since its inception, towards encouraging and promoting Social Contribution & Cultural Elevation Initiatives, around the globe, it is with deep respect and honour that |’n Art| collaborates with such groups of artists, as the renowned Menchaca Studio, that significantly contributes to cultural heritage preservation.
In this case, |’n Art| aims to provide a constant source of income to artisans in order to promote economic development in different Mexican regions and encourage the survival of this ancient sacred culture.
Making a purchase on the |’n Art| gallery online platform you are directly supporting a community, a group or a family of Mexican artisans that struggle to maintain alive the millenary Mexican heritage.
- Custom orders may be placed.
- All Menchaca Studio creations are delivered with a certificate of authenticity.
➞ We kindly invite you to become an integral part of this special art display and interaction that unfolds a whole new field for art collecting and gift giving.
