‘Memory of the North’ connects territories and creativity through the expression of clay

Memory of the North, A project coordinated by sculptor and ceramist Isadora Cuéllar, consisting of a multidisciplinary exhibition that connects territories and creative processes, opened at the National Museum of Popular Cultures (MNCP) and is the fourth and final physical exhibition of a set that brings together works and visions of eight female artists from different regions of the country.

Other versions of the show were presented in Bahía Kino, Ensenada and the capital of Chihuahua. A digital exhibition will be included in the repository Memórica: México Haz Memoria, for the next five years. The MNCP exhibition starts with pottery from the northwest to intertwine different audiovisual media, from photography to video installation, and the procedural experimentation of clay on paper and sound pottery.

The participants are Daría Mariscal, a Paipai artisan from Santa Catarina, in Ensenada, Baja California; Carmela and Rosa Ramírez, Rarámuri artisans from the community of Ocochochi, Bocoyana, Chihuahua; and Cristina Molina and Mina Barnett, artisans from the Comcáac nation, from Punta Chueca, in Hermosillo, Sonora. The remaining three are the photographer and designer Judith Already Escalante, the filmmaker Martha Uc and Cuéllar.

According to the sculptor, the project It arises from the need to know and interconnect knowledge with the northwest region, in particular with artisans of native cultures, based on the language of clay..

Before the inauguration, Cuéllar explained that as a result of his work with this material, he had felt the need to know and explore beyond what he had experienced directly with sculpture, and to construct ways of dialoguing with the earth.

Passion for building bonds

Within these modes of dialogue, since 2007, life has led her to work not only with clays from different latitudes of the country, but mainly with the inhabitants of various communities. During these 17 years she has developed a passion for field research, experimentation, building and strengthening ties with pottery communities in the country.

The project Memory of the North began to take shape in his mind in 2012; however, it was not until 2021 that the idea materialized: From Mexico City, where I live, the northern regions gave me a feeling of distance that began to fade with this collective project..

Cuéllar, Escalante and Uc made three trips to the northwest. They were able to confirm that the traditional ceramics trade had long since begun to weaken. The introduction of plastic, aluminum and pewter contributed to the end of the heyday of clay, when pots and pans made of this material were used daily in all Mexican kitchens.

Although the pottery from the northwest of the country has always been seen as a minority compared to that from the center and south, for Cuéllar this is not entirely true: The original cultures of northern Mexico, with their nomadic and semi-nomadic nature on vast lands, have influenced the way of working and using clay..

Comcáac or Seri pottery “was not practiced for many years. It is women between 35 and 50 years old who still remember how their grandmothers made it. Fortunately, pottery is returning to the community thanks to the joint efforts of public and private entities. Currently, there are two groups of women – about 25 in total – dedicated to pottery in a community of less than 500 inhabitants.”

Already, Also originally from Mexico City, she spoke of her desire to take a photograph that break with traditional ways of portraying. To this end he used mirrors, since it gave him another look at time and space. Through this I built an imaginary and became a collector of images.

For the video installation, Martha Uc, from Yucatan, when processing the material tried to make it have the spontaneity of the place, while at the same time Capture situations and actions that revolve around clay.

The project was funded by the System of Support for Creation and Cultural Projects.

Memory of the North will remain until October 17 at the MNCP (Hidalgo Avenue 289, Del Carmen Coyoacán neighborhood).