Page 22 - The Documenta issue of World of Art magazine (2002)

THe TeRROR
THe TeRROR PROjeCT
THe TeRROR PROjeCT
PROjeCT

i haVe heard the red horSeS
The poor of el Salvador continue to die of malnutrition-12, 000
by Marlie BURTON-ROCHe children per year! And thousands of people die unnecessary
deaths due to lack of medical attention, education and potable
water. At a time when the human condition should be put at the
¡Qué día ha sobrevenido! Qué espesa luz de center of the agenda of the Free Trade Agreement with Central
leche, compacta, digital, me favorece! America, the U.S response is to establish a military base near the
He oído relinar su rojo caballo International Airport in el Salvador. Condoning, supporting and
desnudo sin herraduras y radiante.
profiting from a neo-liberal political process that impoverishes,
starves, and marginalizes 48 to 60 percent of the people in el
Pablo Neruda
Salvador is terrorism, in my opinion.

When President Bush visited el Salvador in March of
My pursuits in solidarity with the popular socio-political
this year he proclaimed it as a triumph of U.S. foreign
movement in el Salvador and my artworks have increasingly
policy in Latin America. If he means by triumph the
coalesced, merging a very private career with what I call ‘the
propping up of a decaying client regime (the AReNA
nightmare of history in the making.’ Two pieces, MORNING
government), pressuring the left and center-left to
ABLAZe WITH SOMe SACRIFICe and LLeNA De DIeNTeS Y
move to the right, and attempts to destroy the ever
ReLAMPAGOS (Full of Teeth and Lightening) are from a series
increasing popular socio-political movement and the
entitled I HAVe HeARD THe ReD HORSeS. Aspects of past horrors
political alternatives that challenge the U.S. offensive
are still evidenced in these works, but the past is evoked in a
in that county, then I guess he is entitled to his
juxtaposition that illuminates the present. This is not an art of
opinion. The reality is, all of the root causes of the
exposure but of synthesis wherein wholeness is constructed
revolution-one of the bloodiest in this hemisphere-
out of fragments and discord. The whole represents what I call
are still in place.
the radical unconscious – a reconciling of unity with diversity
that reflects the contemporary need to create a conscience.
The signing of the Peace Accords between the FMLN
The political situation in el Salvador becomes a symbol of the
(Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional)
current unconsummated moment, highlighting our apprehension
and the right wing government of el Salvador in
of reality but at the same time perhaps strengthening our
1992 heralded a seemingly positive trend. But it was
sympathy for our fellow man.
and is delusional. The Peace Accords have not been
complied with - to the extent that the United Nations
But, having said all that, I do not set out to make ‘political art’.
refused to participate in the 10th Anniversary
I do not begin a work with a preconceived idea or preliminary
celebrations as organized by the AReNA government.
sketch and then transpose that to canvas. The challenge for me
Increasingly the AReNA party and President Flores
is to stand in front of a blank canvas (at times massive!) and
are blocking and debilitating the positive political
just start painting. This is the most exciting part of the process.
institutions born out of the Peace Accords (the
In that sense I guess my work is intuitive. Of course as soon
National Civilian Police and the Office of the Attorney
as I begin putting paint on the canvas then things start to be
for the Defense of Human Rights) and they are not
controlled as shapes and colours relate and change relative to
allowing the electoral and judicial reforms to happen.
one another. It is a slow way of working, not only technically
They have annulled the necessary equilibrium of
- using layers of glazes, but also because at times I have to
power, contributing to loss of credibility of the
put work away for awhile and come back to that piece later. I
Legislative Assembly and are using the majority of
often work on two or three paintings at any one time so they
their votes in service of the interests of the rich.
have a chance to mature or something during the process. I am
Meanwhile 48 percent of the countries 6.1 million
currently working on two paintings that are probably the start
people live in poverty. The World Bank and the United
of a new series, which I have not named yet, and one of those
Nations say that per-capita gross domestic product
paintings has been turned to the wall because I am not sure
is lower now than it was prior to the start of the
where it is going. Later when I look at it again it will probably
civil war. The richest 20 percent of the population
make sense. When I work, I rotate the canvas so for a while
control 55.3 percent of the wealth while the poorest
there is no up and down orientation. In fact sometimes, but
20 percent have only 3.7 percent. In many of the
not always, I do not decide which side is up until the work is
rural areas more than 60 percent of the people live in
finished. And I almost never name a piece until it is done. When I
poverty.
am involved in the making of a new work I am never sure exactly
20 WORLD of ART