MX, b.1968.
Cotton fishing net, rope, pigeon hoof, two smoked scamorzas
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Nylon fishing net, nylon rope, pigeon hoof, beer
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Cotton fishing net, rope, pigeon hoof, dried sausage
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Are the traditional jobs disappearing? Three fishing nets are suspended from the ceiling, meeting the floor in a profusion of gossamer-thin folds like transparent dresses. Various found objects are placed above the three nets, recalling pieces of flotsam found on the beach: a beer bottle, dried pigeon feet, a smoked sausage, and an Italian scamorza cheese. Each net is unique and handmade, clearly referencing ancient Mexican craft traditions; a far cry from the modern fishing industry’s mass-produced fishing nets. The work titles and the artist’s juxtaposition of the disparate materials provide tiny clues to the works. The three titles celebrate three different Mexican patriots: Gertrudis Bocanegra (1765–1817) who fought for the rights of the indigenous population during the Mexican Revolution as a highly educated woman informed by the great philosophers behind the French Revolution. Francisco José Múgica (1884–1954) who was a militant revolutionary Mexican politician and instrumental in designing the Constitution of Mexico in 1917. General Casimiro Leco (1889–1918) who was a Mexican partisan and popular hero who fought in the mountains during the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) in an attempt at upholding the indigenous people’s right to land.
The installation shows something as simple as fishing nets, representing one of the world’s oldest trades. His native Mexico and the many cultural references embodied in the work are intervowen into a fine-meshed network of meaning, pointing to common and far more complex social themes such as social vulnerability, migration across oceans, climate and environmental challenges, and rising inequality in a globalised world.
Labour contexts across the world are very different and people work for many different reasons. In the Western world, work is often associated with prestige, meaning, or good pay whereas simple survival is the driver for others. Although the economic safety net in Denmark is slowly deteriorating, we do still have a safety net catching us if we lose our jobs. This kind of safety net is by no means available everywhere in the world where losing your job, your whole livelihood, can have serious consequences. A sustainable working life – a better working environment and work-life balance – therefore, is not just a focus applicable to individuals, it is also a question of changing our perception of growth, consumption, human rights, globalisation, and the environment.