Abraham Cruzvillegas
The Water Trilogy 1: Ichárhuta: Autodefensión Approximante Vibrante Retroflexe
April 1–May 13, 2017
Opening: April 1, 6–9pm
Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
10 rue Charlot
75003 Paris
An original traditional “butterfly” canoe from the lake of Pátzcuaro—in Michoacán, in the West of México—hangs from the ceiling of the gallery, separated from the floor at a distance that represents the water shortage level, in terms of lowering, indexed according to the recent 49 years.
Three mounds of debris surround the object as sculptural plinths. Over them three Huasteco musicians sing a traditional tune, attempting to reach the highest and the longest falsetto pitch among them. Lyrics of the song narrate the story told by a little axolotl salamander to be eaten by a white fish, both endangered endemic species in that lake.
The various objects of these three mounds come from the large installation of his last exhibition at the Carré d’ Art in Nîmes (October 14, 2016 to February 19, 2017). Selected and recomposed, a new life is here proposed to them.
A facsimilar copy of a 50 Mexican pesos banknote is on display. On one side it includes the face of a national hero, a former guerrilla fighter for the Independence war, on the other one it depicts a similar canoe as the one suspended in the gallery space, with a peaceful fisherman navigating over the lake’s water. With the dramatic and rapid lowering levels of the lake it came along the destruction of local endemic species, besides the vanishing of the symbolic traditions (dance, music, food, rituals, storytelling, bartering, and community collaborative dynamics) linked to the culture in the area.
Imagine the same—the heart of darkness—for Congo, Loire, Rhin, Amazon, Citarum, Yangtse, Mississipi or Yellow rivers, Victoria, Onondaga, Karachai, Balaton, Orre, Okeechobee, Biwa, Baikal, Songla, Bhopal, Chad, Taihu, Chapala, Léman or Great lakes, not to mention salty waters. Self destruction demands self defense, not self awareness only.
