La defensa del maiz Item Number: 3289/99 a-l from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Stencil set showing a woman in partial profile pointing a rifle to viewers right. The woman wears a wrap on her head, blouse, long skirt and sandals. Stencils are installed as a set of twelve: three layers deep; three rectangles high in one stack (parts a-c, e-g, i-k) with additional rectangle at the upper right (parts d, h, l), showing the end of the gun. Each stencil layer was aerosol painted with a different colour - light taupe, dark taupe, and black.
Narrative
Two artists from the collective "Lapiztola", Rosario Martinez and Roberto Vega, traveled to MOA in May 2018 to install 6 sets of stencils (3289/99-104) in the exhibition "Arts of Resistance: Politics and the Past in Latin America". The exhibition label for "La defensa del maiz" read: "This graffiti installation by Lapiztola, Oaxaca, Mexico, links the struggle against transgenic maize with Indigenous empowerment. The artists have used pre-Hispanic maize symbols to associate Indigenous communities with historical Mesoamerican civilizations. Maize agriculture is at the root of Mesoamerica's earliest civilizations. Cultivation of maize that has been altered through genetic engineering (transgenic maize) is now being authorized by the Mexican government. This maize is sold cheaply across the country, affecting the Indigenous and locally grown maize market. Transgenic maize is less nutritious, and the profits it generates are not shared with Mexico's poorest agricultural communities."
Item History
- Made by Lapiztola (Maker) in Oaxaca, Mexico during 2018
- Collected by Laura Osorio between 2017 and 2018
- Owned by Laura Osorio before April 11, 2018
- Received from Laura Osorio (Seller), Museum of Anthropology Exhibitions Budget (Funding source) and Michael O'Brian Family Foundation (Funding source) on April 11, 2018
What
- Name
- La defensa del maiz
- Identification Number
- 3289/99 a-l
- Type of Item
- stencil
- Part A
- height 60.0 cm, width 90.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Mexican
- Creator
- Lapiztola (Maker)
- Field Collector
- Laura Osorio
- Previous Owner
- Laura Osorio
- Received from
- Laura Osorio (Seller), Museum of Anthropology Exhibitions Budget (Funding source) and Michael O'Brian Family Foundation (Funding source)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Oaxaca, Mexico
When
- Creation Date
- during 2018
- Collection Date
- between 2017 and 2018
- Ownership Date
- before April 11, 2018
- Acquisition Date
- on April 11, 2018
Other
- Item Classes
- works on paper
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 3289/0099 a-l