a collaborative exhibition between kurimanzutto, rirkrit tiravanija and potters from the 1050° cooperative
After several months of a fascinating and enriching collaboration with Rirkrit Tiravanija and the gallery kurimanzutto, in 2022 the exhibition was inaugurated Mezcal vs. pulque, a manifesto in favor of what is made by hand, traditional knowledge and contact with the land. He showed the work done by the Ortiz Cortes family and Gregory Cruzin Tonaltepec, silvia garcia and the Pedro Cardozo family, in Coyotepec, next to Tiravanija.
Both the process and the exhibition represented unprecedented learning for the artisans, who felt well and worthily represented.
This collaboration exceeded our expectations: we had hundreds of mentions on social networks, the videos were viewed more than 4,000 times, three guided tours were carried out and the QR of the room text was scanned more than 800 times! We also had several mentions in print media, such as this article by Constanza Lambertucci in El País, or East by Germaine Gomez Haro in the day
I feel the stillness of the earth,
the energy of the mud,
and the mystery of when we work it,”
— Amando Pedro, potter from Coyotepec, upon entering the exhibition.
A couple of days before, we accompanied the potters from Oaxaca to CDMX to be present at a private inauguration, a historic and moving event for many of us!
He could not miss a visit to the Basilica of Guadalupe and the Museum of Anthropology and History. Both visits were surprising and inspiring. We leave you a small travel log, where you can learn more about this journey from the voice of the potters.
The inauguration feast, which was attended by several relatives of the potters who live in the city, was a multicultural collective creation between Goya Cruz, from Río Blanco Tonaltepec, with his wonderful seasoning and Rirkrit himself, who gave the Asian touch.
Among other activities parallel to the exhibition, a online conversation sponsored by the gallery, between Kythzia Barrera, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Madeleine Grynsztejn director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
The mud is rooted in history. It is a deep knowledge that honors the ways of living and the ancestral wisdom of the peoples. This root resists the dispossession of a dignified life. For me, working with clay is a resistance that seeks to recover coexistence and the human proportion when touching the earth.
—Kythzia Barrera, director of Innovating Tradition.
