GUIBA': Language as A Universe of Possibilities
Isauro Huizar, José Ángel Santiago and Ana Hernandez tell us about their latest collaborative project and their stay at Mexican artist residency YOO GUIBA'.
Photo: Courtesy of the artists.
A few weeks ago, I was invited by a very good friend to the virtual presentation of “GUIBA”, a project by visual artists Isauro Huizar and José Ángel Santiago coordinated by Ana Hernández. The Mexican duo collaborated in the creation of an artist’s book during their stay in the art residency YOO GUIBA' (Oaxaca, México), which invites national and international creatives to generate dialogues with regional producers through different artistic initiatives.
"Meaning sky, heaven and universe, Guiba’ (Zapoteco del istmo, Diidxazá) becomes a metaphor for the authors of the artist’s book, the producers and the links between different contexts.”
During our virtual session, Isauro, José and Ana talked about the artist residency and how the language (specifically Zapotec) became one of their main tools to promote the exchange of ideas between producers and artisans coming from different cultural contexts, as well as making visible the culture from The Istmo as a universe rich in flora, fauna, gastronomy and languages.
Photo: Courtesy of the artists.
“We wanted to portray language as a universe of possibilities and communication variants that nourish ideas.”
Georgina: How did you all meet? Is this the first time that you work together?
Ana: I met José Ángel twelve years ago when we were both participating in some workshops at the Art Center of San Agustín and then we met again in college.
José Ángel: We met Isauro some years ago thanks to the Inversion Project of Contemporary Art from the Collection R+S (Sofía García and Ramiro Fernández). We were selected in the first edition of the project and then we found each other again during the presentation at Mexico City and Querétaro in 2019. Even though this is the first time that the three of us collaborate we are already working together for some upcoming exhibitions in Mexico City and Oaxaca.
Isauro: We have been in contact since then. More than an affinity in aesthetic discourses, our link emerged through friendship and other affinities besides art.
G: How was the idea of creating the artist’s book “GUIBA” born? Which was the inspiration behind?
JAS: It was born in a very organic way. It was the result of formalizing and materializing a casual exchange of ideas during the stay of Isauro in Oaxaca.
IH: This project wasn’t planned with anticipation. My idea was to have some time far from Mexico City and assist José Angel in his practice while keeping my mind busy in something different to my routine. In fact, I was able to participate in his preparation process of chalks and the fresco, having later the opportunity to create two new frescos.
AH: The project started to take form after the first visit of Isauro in October. Maybe after the aim of making visible the dialogue between us, accompanied by the impulse that all artists have to produce.
G: This project took place in ''YOO GUIBA’, an art residency located in Oaxaca, Mexico that seeks to generate a dialogue between the artists and the local artisans. How can we appreciate the participation of the artisans from Oaxaca portrayed in the book?
AH: The design of the binder is a collaboration between signwriter Giovanni Bautista and Isauro.
JAS: The two-ink silkscreen printing (black and gold) with a print run of 60 copies was created by Taller Río Blanco, a visual platform focusing in graphic projects. The participation of Ana as the project coordinator was very important because, as she was not involved in the design, she could see the project as an outsider, offering this way a better feedback.
IH: The binding process was in charge of Matanga Taller Editorial, that specializes in the elaboration of books and notebooks handmade with local materials from Oaxaca that are carefully selected and combining traditional and contemporary techniques.
Photo: Courtesy of the artists.
G: How was the experience of working with local producers and artisans?
JAS: Something important is that, before looking at them as producers and suppliers, these are people that are very close to us.
AH: They helped us to tell this story and became an important part of the collaboration.
G: What can you tell us about the creative process and the techniques used?
JAS: The initial idea was to participate, each one with two different designs and then create a fifth one together. But we both ended up signing the five designs. In Oaxaca, we have strong traditions in graphic techniques. We decided to do serigraphy because of the relationship we have with Taller Rio Blanco.
IH: We noticed that our participation in all the designs was so strong that it became difficult to differentiate the authorship of each.
AH: In a way, the book invites the spectator to discover the echoes of both artists by getting to know the individual work of each one.
G: What role does art play in the study of a language, and in this case, the exploration of Zapoteco del Istmo?
AH: This is a very important question. We noticed that, what it began as an informal exchange of ideas, it always had the language as a starting point.
JAS: In one of my conversations with Isauro, we were talking about how a word, like Guiba’ for example, can have many different translations in Spanish.
IH: I found this very interesting because this meant that more than defining a word, the language expands the perceptions that we have about certain concepts and things.
AH: We like to think that something similar happens with graphic techniques. This abstraction of elements, instead of describing a specific narrative, it expands the perceptions of multiple interpretations.
JAS: This technique is also a language to communicate concepts that could be very specific, but our intention for in this project was to be abstract enough to enhance the possible viewers' readings.
AH: One of the most important decisions for us was to present the main text of the binder in Zapotec, as a subtle posture of resistance
IH: At the end, we included a translation in Spanish to avoid being that cryptic but with the aim of provoking a reaction in the spectator regarding the information presented and with the goal of making visible a language.
Video by: Arturo Lavariega @arturo_lavariega