2003

The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals

Mexican, born 1953

In his satirical "codices" Chagoya pokes fun at such serious issues as politics, religion, and race. In imitation of ancient hand-painted histories of Aztec gods and rulers (showing the military victories of both), Chagoya creates his codices in color on amate paper, a modern type of handmade bark paper similar to that used by pre-conquest artisans. The artist's employment of the traditional format of the ancient codex-constructed as a series of folding panels that read from right to left-pays further homage to these early artifacts of Mexico's indigenous peoples.