Title: TEMPORADAS
Location: La Paz, Bolivia
Artist: Luis Gomez de Teran
For: Festival Ñatinta
Curated by: Perros Sueltos
At: Cementerio General La Paz
Year: 2023
Photo Credits: Luis Gomez de Teran
“Ñatinta is one of the best public art projects I ever witnessed. It takes place inside the Central Cemetery of La Paz, and since 2016, to celebrate the “dia de los defuntos” Perros Sueltos invite artists to create artworks that investigate the central topics of death and life. In my eyes, the whole thing is mind blowing.
People over there have such a different approach to death, compared to western cultures.
Though death remains a deeply painful event, it is accepted as an inevitable part of life.
The cemetery feels like a pulsating and alive place, a town inside the town, with its own inhabitants and its own rules. At all times someone is praying, changing flowers to the tombs, singing.
During the “day of the dead”, when the souls of the deceased ones are believed to come back to communicate with the living ones, the whole place looks like a big party, with music, food, children having fun and beautiful rituals.
There could be so much to learn from this approach for us westerners, always pathetically hiding and running away from what we’re afraid of.
Death is painful, but shouldn’t be so scary. Just like life.
My artwork is all about this acceptance.
Is there anyone who’s really at peace with the idea of death? Most likely not.
But that’s just how things work. What lives eventually dies. Something goes, and it’s painful for who remains, and that pain is normal. That’s a part of what life has to offer. And something new is on the way, and it’ll bring new joy, and it’ll bring new pain. That’s another part of what life has to offer.
That’s why the pregnant woman, that’s why the niche in her chest.
Life and death. Inseparable.
And if there’s a way to make death a little less scary is to try and commit to live a good and full life, to try and do the things one wants to do, say the things one has to say. So when the moment will come, well, at least you tried your best to do what you were supposed to do.
Celebrate life.
Celebrate death.
Btw it’s been really funny to make my own tomb loculus and put flowers in it.”
Luis Gomez de Teran
USEFUL LINKS:
Luis Gomez de Teran in this blog | Instagram | Facebook fan page
Categories: OperArt, Street art
Barbara Picci 