In this installation, Giuseppe presents “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe” and “The Statue of Liberty” as mirror images. Each wears the clothes and colours of the other and their bases connect via a fragile transparent division.
Guadalupe is considered the "Virgin of the Disappeared" and relatives of the disappeared in Mexico and beyond plea and pray to her to find them. She is black and connects to indigenous identity.
These two iconic symbols are laden with meaning. For the mothers of the disappeared in Mexico, “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe” envelops the unbearable anguish of their loss and extends comfort. “The Statue of Liberty” has become the symbol of emigration, simultaneously conveying pain for the lost home country and hope for a better life in the new one.
In removing these icons from their traditional pedestals, Giuseppe allows “these two great ladies who stand far apart, yet who share similar values and hopes” to converse with the viewer in a new way. He presents them as “neighbours not strangers, standing in perfect composure, mirroring one another”. He reflects: [This] upside-down installation …defying gravity, encourages us to come close, reflect, and observe reality with fresh eyes”.
For Giuseppe, their very proximity raises an intimate question:
"Are we different or are we the same?" |