Alicia Reyes McNamara's new works continue their research into Mexican and Aztec mythology and visual cultures, and how it informs contemporary Latinx identities. Reyes McNamara’s recent paintings and works on paper revolve around the deity of Tlazoltéotl, an Aztec goddess who was originally an earth-mother goddess associated with fertility, sexuality, the earth, filth waste and dirt. Tlazoltéotl was thought to work in a number of related but sometimes seemingly contradictory ways, for example to purify sins but to also encourage people to participate in what were deemed by Aztec society as immoral sexual acts. The goddess was also thought to eat sins, turning filth and the rotting earth into verdant life. This ability to embrace duality was also seen in gender-fluid depictions of the goddess.
Alicia Reyes McNamaraWorks on Paper: Works on Paper
Past exhibition
15 March - 1 April 2023