1 handmade kite with spindle
Silkscreen on Pergamin paper, wood sticks, wooden spindle
Ca. 71 x 61 cm
Signed, numbered and dated certificate
Edition of 12
An edition not only evokes performative moments within itself, but rather provokes such. The kites by Mariana Castillo Deball (*1975) can be characterized as objects of utility, that take up direct contact with the viewers and, by doing so, turn into immaterial gestures. As in many of her works, these kites connect different contexts, and function as repositories of knowledge, identities and histories. Their shape on the one hand refers to Korean fighting kites, whereas the calendar in the depicted crocodile quotes the Codex Borgia. It’s one of the few pre-Columbian Mexican manuscripts, that wasn’t destroyed in the 16th century. Apart from three other copies, the Codex Borgia is still in the possession of the Vatikan and therefore underlines the long overdue confrontation with its restitution. The exhibited kites also hold another story. As a sign of solidarity against gender-based violence, kites appeared during the International Women’s Day demonstrations on March 8, 2021 in Mexico City. Even Mexican artist Francisco Toledo used 43 kites to commemorate the murdered and missing students of Guerrero. In solidarity with the Zapatistas, the kites will for the first time rise up to the sky in the coming weeks. As a counter-colonial action, the Zapatistas currently travel on a boat from Mexico to Europe. The artist will support this journey with a part of the edition’s proceeds. The work was developed as part of the exhibition BEHIND THE SCREEN.