Xipe Totec

The starting point for this series of sculptures was my personal interpretation of the pre-hispanic deity Xipe Totec in the pre-columbian cultures. The idea originates in certain pre-hispanic sculptures meant to represent the ceremony celebrated in honor of this god of the new corn. When spring began, when corn was sown, and as part of the rituals offered to this deity, a sacrifice was done. The chronicles narrate that in this ceremony a priest removed the sacrificial victim’s skin and then dressed with it, as a symbol of the new dress, which means, the greenness of the earth as the corn sprouted in spring.

My perception is that in this ritual the “other” becomes indispensable for our existence, and that humans are social animals. We all need a certain number of people to be able to exchange and feedback experiences and feelings. In this series of sculptures, I appropriate the skin of people close to me, to dress with it as a symbol of emotional renovation, of giving new life to my life.