Adriana "Gigi" Mederos

This year I am compulsively creating thousands of smaller pieces. A fantastic menagerie of capricious organisms is growing daily. They hope to be part of something bigger - a Folk Rococo madness is coming to life in my studio.

La Colgante hangs up-side-down by a silver rope tied to her ankle. Stoic in her peculiar position, she surrenders to the eternal pendulum. In the picture, her presenting side shows a serene face; a quantum burst of positive energy radiating from her belly. The other side shows La Colgante desperate, painfully exposed, guts al fresco. I drew her on a repurposed watercolor paper and bonded her, 4-ply, before painting, collaging, giving her a name and assembling her habitat.

The tree where she hangs is shaped like a T. The vertical bar represents life in the physical world manifested in the multitude of colors and shapes.The shallow basin that supports the structure is a reclaimed serving dish turned into the depths of the ocean. The innerscape quickly traverses up the tree trunk, teeming with abstracted versions of life in those places where earth and water meet. Up in the Canopy, where earth and sky kiss, a ghostly chameleon serves as messenger. Birds, orbs, and other celestial dwellers dangle and sway. La Colgante lives in Nepantla, the liminal. Above the top bar of the T, is the spiritual sphere. Over the tree is a simple water vessel; above it a stylized white bird flies protectively.

The acts of drawing and painting, kneading, molding, and folding, cutting and stitching, bring to me memories of family, folklore, tradition and beliefs. In turn, these memories invite me to reflect on love, mortality, forgiveness, belonging, identity and the quality of my relationships with those I love. The ones who have already crossed to the dimension of stardust – mis muertos- are particularly present while working on La Colgante.

La Colgante feels like a new pivot point for me and my work. Symbiosis, and the natural relationships between micro and macro worlds are integral parts of my artistic investigation. Working with archetypes expands it to the realm of inner and outer life. La Colgante beckons me to find creative equilibrium with this new series, assembling layered sculptures.

La Colgante en Nepantla/ the Hanging One in Nepantla 2022 Mixed media 38” x 22” NFS gigimederos@gmail.com