C a r l os Zapata Ic onos : Sagrado Y Profano
Iconos : Sagr ado y Profano (Icons : Sacred and Profane)
With this exhibition Car los Zapata explores and examines the use of icons within his per sonal and extended culture . Depicting a var iety of vener ated subjects called upon at different points in individuals’ lives, Zapata examines how these icons are appropr iated and altered for the benefit of specific people or groups – in par ticular reference to tr aditional customs that are modified within contempor ar y cultures in South Amer ica. Zapata or iginates from Columbia, these are per sonal reflections on rooted exper iences, almost autobiogr aphical retellings of accepted myths and legends, alongside per sonal par ables. In South Amer ica the employment of idols can ocassionaly seem mundane or ever yday, but their use also reflects a complicated and difficult society where they are relied upon in times of helplessness. Many search for restor ation, stability and protection; while the vulner able seek aid, reassur ance and comfor t, and the guilty seek validation and redemption. Under standing a little more about the or igination of the icons depicted, it becomes clear that many have emer ged dur ing times of economic hardship or political unrest. Called the ‘cult of cr isis’ by anthropologists, char acter s or devotional aids mater ialise that people can relate to more readily and are then added to the pantheon of more conventional religious icons. This includes idols that are commonly adopted and used within the cr iminal underwor ld that is r ife in many areas. The syncretic nature of par ticular religions or cults result in their constant evolution - different attitudes or spir its become absorbed, as well as renounced, depending on the locality and the needs of the community or those in power. Often disillusioned with the dominant institutional Church, and its Saints seeming inability to deliver them from hardship, people create their own new religions that reflect their own per sonal realities, identity and pr actices.
Olivia Gr ay, 2013
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Las Tres Potencias (The Three Power s) mixed media 175 H x 30 W x 30 D cm
The ‘Tres Potencias’ or ‘Three Power s’ are Mar ia Lionza, The Cacique Guaicaipuro, an Indian chief murdered by the Spanish colonists , and Negro Felipe, a black slave who was also murdered by the colonists . These three saints are the leading figures of the pantheon of the spir itual religion similar to Santería in Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba and other Car ibbean countr ies
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Her mit mixed media 35 H x 19 W x 19 D cm
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Yorùbá Spir it Protector (Guardian of the Kidnapped) mixed media 42 H x 12 W x 12 D cm
The Yorùbá religion or iginates from Afr ica and was brought to Latin Amer ica dur ing the Atlantic slave trade from 1300 - 1900. It is closely related to Vodou and is integrated into what now constitutes the core of the New Wor ld lineages .
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Praying Figure mixed media 40 H x 32 W x 19 D cm
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Car men’s Feet mixed media 43 H x 27 W x 34 D cm
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Ekkeko (The Andean God of Abundance) mixed media 41 H x 24 W x 21 D cm
Ekkeko is a Bolivian, pre-Chr istian deity known as the god of abundance, money and luck. Wishes for mater ial goods are tied onto Ekkeko’s body and are said to be granted dur ing the coming year.
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La Mano Poderosa mixed media 30 H x 12 W x 10 D cm
The ‘Mano Poderosa’ or ‘All Powerful Hand’ is an ancient symbol of protection that was or iginally brought to Latin Amer ica by European settler s and missionar ies . Religious parapher nalia such as this was used to teach the then illiterate indigenous populations about the Catholic Saints . It is now a ver y impor tant talisman used for protection, to ward off evil.
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Juan jesus Malverde (The Narco’s Saint) mixed media 26 H x 17 W x 17 D cm
According to local legend in Mexico, Jesús Malverde was killed by the author ities in 1909, since then he has emerged as a ‘Robin hood’ type figure and is known as the ‘generous bandit’ or the ‘angel of the poor’. This outlaw image has resulted in him becoming the ‘patron saint’ of the regions notor ious dr ug trade - being dubbed the ‘narco-saint’.
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Black Madonna / Coatlicue (Ear th Godess) mixed media 45 H x 22 W x 25 D cm
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Milagros (Miracles) mixed media 153 W x 60 H cm
A milagro or miracle is offered to a deity or saint as a for m of prayer or wish, or in thanks for desires fulfilled. par t to be healed or enhanced (such as the pair of eyes , legs , and ar ms car ved on wood)
In Latin Amer ican milagros have their roots in pre-Columbian times of offer ings and votar y figures of gold. exist at the boundar y between object-or iented magic and devotionar y prayer.. body As magical ar tifacts , they are activated by placing them in a sanctuar y or shr ine.
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Jose Gregor io Her nandez mixed media 35 H x 17 W x 17 D cm
José Gregor io Her nández (1864 - 1919) was a Venezuelan physician, who after his death began to be revered as a Saint. People began to claim that miracles were granted to them after praying to him and he is now commonly evoked by doctor s and patients for healing purposes .
In 1949, Venezuelan Catholic Church officials began the process that would lead the beatification of Dr. Her nández. The process of his canonisation commenced dur ing the Vatican I, which had granted him the title of Venerable in 1985. His remains are housed in the Holy Church of La Candelar ia in Caracas , Venezuela.
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Cabinet of Prayer s mixed media 70 H x 35 W x 17 D cm
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Saints mixed media 20 H x 42 W x 15 D cm
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Madonna Guer r illera mixed media 26 H x 10 W x 12 D cm
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Piece of Land mixed media 185 cm high
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Saint’s Head mixed media 16 H x 27 W x 13 D cm
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Maximรณn mixed media 40 H x 39 W x 19 D cm
The wor ship of Maximรณn treats him not so much as a benevolent deity but rather as a bully whom one does not want to anger. He is also known to be a link between Xibalbรก The Underwor ld and Bitol hear t of heaven (Corazรณn del Cielo). His expensive tastes in alcohol and cigarettes indicate that he is a sinful human character, ver y different from the ascetic ideals of Chr istian sainthood. Devotees believe that prayer s for revenge, or success at the expense of other s , are likely to be granted by Maximรณn.
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Santa Muer te (Patron of the Kidnapper s and Cr iminals) mixed media 60 H x 15 W x 10 D cm
Santa Muer te is the female per sonification of death who fir st came to popular attention in 1998 after police ar rested the gangster Daniel Ar izmendi L贸pez and discovered a shr ine to her in his home. Widely repor ted in the press , this discover y inspired the common association between Santa Muer te, violence, and cr iminality in popular consciousness . Also known as Se帽ora de la Noche (Lady of the Night), she is now often invoked by those exposed to the danger s of wor king at night, such as taxi dr iver s , mar iachi player s , bar owner s , police, soldier s , and prostitutes .
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Curandera (Shaman) mixed media 220 H x 31 W x 20 D cm
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Published by Millennium to coincide with the exhibition ‘Iconos : Sagrado y Profano’ by Carlos Zapata All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers Publication produced by Impact Printing Services (www.impactprintingservices.co.uk) Portrait photography courtest of Nik Strangelove (www.nikstrangelove.com)
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