Art Only!
Trip Start
Dec 11, 2010
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15
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Trip End
Feb 01, 2011
Merida, Yucatán, Mexico
Monday, January 24, 2011
Over a period of two days, we followed a walking tour of many of the galleries in Merida. Some were quite large, with works of well-known artists, some were in Government buildings and displayed as museum pieces, some were part of church museums, and some were small, independent galleries where the artists lived upstairs.
It was in one of these little galleries that we met Juan Pablo Bavio, who does many textured portraits. We liked his work, so bought an art card (15 x 19 cm) of a large original of an old Maya woman. He also had a painting we liked in the Galleria Merida which was displaying works by various artists that showed images to promote awareness of violence against women. (Some of these are in our photos.)
On Sundays from 9 AM to 2 PM, artists gather along the sidewalk next to Paseo Montejo, the main tree-lined boulevard near our apartment. This is where we met Manuel Taure displaying some of his colourful, imaginative pieces. We visited him and his partner, Viviana Hinojosa, at their home studio where we bought a couple of pieces. What an interesting, creative couple!
Of course, an entry about art would not be complete without reference to the colourful folk art found in Mexico! (More folk art) We saw a sampling of clothing, pottery, jewelry, furniture, and decorations at one of Merida's City Galleries. There is an abundance of art which features Day of the Dead symbolism.
