I will remember this one thing from Art Week in Mexico City.
It’s Art Week in Mexico City.
I have to be honest, it just ain’t my thing. My understanding of contemporary art is nil, and while there were plenty of captivating creations (particularly from galleries in Lima, Guadalajara, Istanbul, and Guatemala City), I can’t help but feel that most of it was not. For reference, I saw:
three taxidermy rats
one mesh bag taped to the wall
two huge knit cardigans hanging on hangers
a medium-sized white canvas where the artist drew six (maybe seven?) squares (about 2 inches tall and 2 inches wide) and filled them in with a light blue marker
Moreover, I can’t tell if the visitors are actually here for the art, or to out-outfit each other. A significant chunk of my time wandering these fairs was spent shamefully zeroing in on the most outlandish attire I could find. Aside from a dizzying number of non-functional hats with varying brim sizes, a bra-and-blazer set accompanied by so many injections I quite literally did a double-take to confirm that the woman was NOT Lauren Sanchez post-inauguration, cowboy boots in every color of the rainbow, and sunglasses at any time of day or night, inside or outside, most of which were grossly oversized, I also noticed an alarming number of:
Semi-sheer maxi dresses on top of full-fledged jeans-and-a-t-shirt outfits.
Pajama sets with shirts unbuttoned to the belly button and lapels placed perilously on the tip of the shoulder so as to expose the full pectoral cavity on which there was generally an extra-long necklace and a charm or religious relic.
Sneakers so large and heavy that the wearers were forced to drag and flop their feet like a scuba diver in flippers.
But NONE of these things, from stuffed rodents to cemented footwear, was quite as fantastically darling as the heavyset woman in a black-and-white Cristian Dior moo moo wearing a lampshade on her head.
The lampshade was black with a DIY fringe, each of which was evenly spaced out around the sides and back of the head ornament (about half an inch or less between each fringe) in order to free the face of distraction. The “fringe”, as it were, looked like it was made from a thin chain or necklace, cut to three inches in length, with also-evenly-spaced cubic zirconia jewels attached that sparkled in the convention center’s fluorescent lighting. As she confidently walked the gallery halls, the bedazzled dangles swung neatly from side to side.
In my peripheral I detected that her husband was wearing something equally as bizarre, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from her to investigate his wardrobe.
I’ve been laughing ever since.
But here’s the thing. I’ve been THINKING about it ever since, as well! I swear I think about her every hour! And suddenly, it dawned on me.
THAT’S ART!!
Art makes you think! It makes you wonder! It gets you talking! Writing, in my case. Of all the pieces I’ve willingly and unwillingly seen over the last few days, there’s no doubt in my mind that this woman’s head-topper will be the only one that I’ll remember.
And what the hell, maybe I’ll start wearing more hats.
With love,
Bethany
