MG
began painting the mummies following a deeply moving visit to the Museo de Las Momias in December 1999.
As I painted each mummy, I thought on the possibilities of their lives...who had they beenNULL After days and days of studying each mummy's bone
structure, I began to see similarities to a few of my friends. The matches of the mummies to living humans are not intended to be exact; they are solely
'what ifs'. Even knowing the 'facts' of these mummies lives; where they lived, where they worked, their family history, how they died...their essence is
still far from reach. The living visages are a reflection of that; the impossibility of knowing a soul during life, and the deepening ambiguities after
death. - MG
The mummies are paired with portraits of living people in a series of 12 paintings, each approximately 27 x 39 (70cm x 100cm). Additional
paintings will also be on display. This will be the self-taught artist's first solo exhibition. MG's representative, Jesse Lambdin says, Reactions to MG's
work have been overwhelmingly positive. This show is an amazing start to what promises to be a brilliant career. Considering Las Momias Mexican
theme and the fact that all work was completed in Mexico, I am extremely pleased that the series will have its first exhibition in Guadalajara. A strong
possibility exists that the exhibition will travel to other parts of Mexico and then to the US.
MG was born in Providence, Rhode Island (USA), in 1975. At present, MG lives and paints in a small town on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
About the Galería Arte Moderno – Modern Art Gallery:
Galería Arte Moderno opened its doors in 1971. It is one of Guadalajara's oldest and most respected galleries. The building's facade is composed of
murals by contemporary artists from Guadalajara such as: Hector Navarro, Irma Cerna, Toni Guerra, Pepin Hernandez Laos, Aldapa, Paco de la Peña,
Iñaqui Peorlegui, Luis Rutilio Medina y Miguel Aldana Mijares. The interior has two large exhibition rooms, and holds a permanent collection of more
than two hundred paintings from artists like Roger Von Gunter, Brian Nissen, Kasuka Sakai, Ricardo Rocha, Gerardo Cantú, Luis Filser, Leonora
Carrington, Rufino Tamayo, Enrique Rimer and others.
La Momia de Guanajuato 4,
2000
Oil on Canvas,
100 X 70cm
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Mesmerizing, these mummies linger in the viewer's consciousness. Each mummy has its own haunting expression. One appears to be crying, the next laughing, another sleeping serenely, and some are petrified in their
agonizing moment of death. Spending time with them staring back at you with their skin, hair, eyes, and patches of clothes intact is both eerie and
thought provoking. The Accidental Mummies, as they were referred to by the Discovery Channel, were the inspiration for the American painter
MG's Las Momias de Guanajuato exhibition--The Mummies of Guanajuato--opening June 7 at the Galeria Arte Moderno de Guadalajara, in
Guadalajara, Mexico.
