Since 1,800 BC, the Mayan culture, the most important civilization that spread through the territory of what is now southeastern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, saw entire peoples pass by its impressive buildings and artistic representations. Its grandeur can be admired to this day in ruins and museums, such as the collection that houses the National Museum of Anthropology, the largest in the country. It was precisely those and other pieces that the artist from Durango, Pepx Romero, licked and kissed last Thursday to make a performance.
Dressed in a yellow suit and dark glasses, the also actor and theater director approaches his lips, gives long kisses and runs his tongue over the sculptures of high historical and cultural value, as seen in images shared on Instagram. In the background, electronic music with a robotic voice criticizes the plundering of works from cultures such as the Mayan, Aztec, Teotihuacan and Olmec. The objective was to compare the damage that saliva can cause in works with their sale and auction around the world.
Romero entered the museum like any other visitor. He was accompanied by three people, who recorded his actions with their mobile phones, according to the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History). “During his tour of the archaeological rooms of the museum, Pepx Romero placed his lips on some pieces and showcases,” he said in a statement released this Wednesday, a week after the controversial performance.
Without any security guard approaching, the playwright kisses the lips of clay heads and runs his tongue several times through the folds of figures carved by ancient cultures. The INAH denies having received any request to carry out said recordings. “There is no authorization for it,” he says.
The institute also maintains that “the museum pieces and objects do not present any damage or affectations.” On the other hand, he states that he disagrees “before behaviors not permitted by the regulations established for cultural venues that guard heritage assets”, at the same time that he expresses his “respect for creative freedom and thanks to the voices that reject the illicit sale of cultural property abroad.
Videographic evidence from the museum’s security systems will determine the legal actions to follow. They show how Romero is recorded by his three companions, mentions the bulletin. “It is known that the material obtained was edited, sound and subtitled to be screened at the 2022 Ceremony Festival, as part of the Mexique Project, held at the Bicentennial Park in Mexico City,” he adds.
For his part, the artist has assured that he is “calm” about the possible consequences of his actions. “I believe that these laws, of course, protect heritage, protect it from being damaged, however, the action does not represent damage,” he said in an interview with The universal. In addition, he commented that several people were watching what he was doing.
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