This installation comes from an appreciation for the beauty and heartfelt magic that only Mexico and its people can offer.
Every culture has its idioms and icons -certain words and images that transcend the literal and reside in the psyches of the people. This installation entitled “La Lotería: An Exploration of México” explores some of the ubiquitous images of Mexico by using the format of La Lotería, a popular Mexican game of chance. This artwork has drawn upon Mexican traditions, historical figures, gastronomy, and popular culture, translating them into images familiar and recognizable to those who have experienced this distinctive culture. The purpose of this installation is to inspire interest, understanding, and dialog between the people of the United States and Mexico.
Many Americans at the time, only knew of the stereotypical persona of someone from Mexico as a day laborer, housekeeper, or child care provider, and I wanted to help change and broaden that perception.
The purpose of this work to show people in the USA how sophisticated and rich the culture of Mexico is, in a fun and interesting way by using the format of the much-loved Mexican game of chance called “Lotería.” There are 54 cards in a Loteria deck -hence the total number of 54 small paintings in this installation. I created paintings, impressions, and ideologies that would tell about my experiences as an Americans north-of-the-border view of life in the Mexican culture in a fun and objective way.
Though I have been traveling and living in Mexico off and on for over 20 years, this installation was conceived while I was living in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mx. from 1995 – to 1997. I spent 1 year in research on the historical and social importance of this game, and 1 year in production.
In 2000, I applied for and received an Artists Grant to fund this project by the NEA and the Arizona Commission on the Arts in order to bring more awareness to the American people about the culture of Mexico –our neighbors South o the border.
Many images within this installation depict icons of humor, irony, and faith found throughout Mexico which are concepts that are often employed to deal with the harsh realities of life. These concepts allow many people living in Mexico to maintain sanity in a context, that at times, seems controlled by the irrational.
This work resulted in having an official ¨Nueva Version Lotería¨ game published by the original Loteria game owners from Querectaro, MX (aka Gallo Pasatiempos, named after the founder Don Clemente Gallo) who also sponsored the tour of the artwork to various Museums and Cultural Centers in Mexico. Any royalties I earned from Gallo, I donated to FAI Save the Children Foundation, Mexico. Then with the help of the AZ Commission on the Arts, it toured in the US for approx. 10 years. Also, I had the good fortune to collaborate with the famous Latin-American writer Ilan Stavans publishing a book titled “Loteria” by UA Press. "Villegas's images have inspired me to recreate the riddles that populated my yesteryears, hopefully in a mood that is akin to our present era." –Author Ilan Stavans
Exhibition History:
•2010 September – December, Columbia College, Chicago, IL
• 2009 March 6th – April 27th, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck, MI
• 2008 April 23rd – May 23rd Utah Cultural Celebration Cntr, West Valley City, UT
• 2007 October 26 – January 27, 2008, California Center for the Arts Escondido, CA
• 2007 March 17, – April 22, Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT
• 2007 December 12th, 2006 – February 4th, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ
• 2006 September 1 – November 5, 2006, National Steinbeck Center, Salinas, CA
• 2006 June 22nd – Aug. 13, 2006, Southwest School of Art and Craft, San Antonio, TX
• 2006 March 6th – March 31, 2006, Weber State University, Ogden, UT
• 2005 July 16th – October 16th, Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA
• 2005 April 15th – June 1, Internat. Cultural Center TTU, Lubbock, TX
• 2004 May 7th-June 27th, Ellen Noel Museum, Odessa, TX
• 2004 Jan. 8th – Feb.2nd Tucson Main Library, Tucson, AZ
• 2003 Sept. 29th – November 21st Hope College DePree Art Gallery, Holland, MI
• 2003 July 25th – Aug. 15th Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
• 2001-2002 – Museo de la Ciudad, Santiago de Querétaro, Qro., Mx. It then went on to tour Mexico to the cities of Celaya, Auguas Calientes, and San Miguel de Allende, curated by El Museo de la Ciudad, sponsored by Don Clemente Gallo.
If you are interested in exhibiting this work, or purchasing this work in it's entirety (must be sold together all 54 paintings), please feel free to contact me. If you are interested in commissioning a painting replicated from this installation, or purchasing a number of limited edition giclee prints from this series you can visit my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoteriaPrints
Please refer to my website for many more photos of this work: http://teresavillegas.com
- Subject Matter: 54 different paintings depicting the culture of Mexico from an outsiders (American's) point of view. each 14.35"x9.5"x2" (36cm x 24cm x 5cm) Installation size 10' x 20' (3 meters x 8 meters)
Other Work From Teresa Villegas
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