Mex Fest

-This weekend was MexFest, a celebration of all things Mexican in London from music to food.

I went along to an exhibition at Rich Mix but I think I got there a bit too early, as I think there was supposed to be kind of soundscape later in the day.

There were a few nice photos of Mexico nevertheless so here they are.

  Cenotes, Yucatán

 Day of the Dead, Michoacán

Mexican food and Breakfast tea

El Paso is a little Mexican restaurant that is located just up the road from Old Street tube station.  I went there for a catch up with my friend Jenny and had a tasty burrito and a pot of English breakfast tea.

The restaurant has a sort of English tea parlour feel to the décor.

Pinta: The Modern & Contemporary Latin American Art Show

I've occasionally thought that it's not as easy to find Latin American art in London as it is to find European, North American and African art.  So I was pleased to see Pinta advertised in the tube and even more pleased to find a voucher online for a free ticket. 

Paolo Campochiaro, Uruguay

 The Corpo Colectivo from Alison Jacques Gallery

 From Whisper to Shout by Germán Gómez from Spain

 Marco Mojica from Colombia

 Sandra de Berduccy from Bolivia

 Nuno Sousa Vieira from Portugal

Egg by Karen Estrada from El Salvador 

 The Simple Plan by Jean Marc Calvet from France/Nicaragua

 Evolution in Spring 1/5 by Jean Jacques Ribi from Panama/Italy

 Anatares by Omar Carreño from Venezuela

Untitled by Matilde Pérez from Chile

While she Waiting she was Thinking about the Dream by Luis González Palma from Guatemala

No Lone Zone

No Lone Zone is a miliary term which means an area which is unathorised to enter if you are alone. It is also the name of an exhibition in the Level 2 Gallery at the Tate Modern by the following Latin American artists:

- Cinthia Marcelle from Brazil
- Teresa Margolles from Mexico
- Terecerunquinto, A Mexican collective
- David Zink Yi from Peru

Teresa Morgolles's work ´Score Settling´ takes fragments of glass from drive by shooting sites and use it to create jewellery resembling the style worn by the narcos who organised the murders.

Flag by Teresa Morgolle. For this work the artist took the flag in the centre of the photograph around several sites in Mexico where people had been executed and soaked the material in the blood that was left at the scene.

Infinitas Gracias

The Wellcome Trust currently has an exhibition until 26th February 2012 of Mexican miracle paintings.

These paintings, called ex-votos or retablos are dedicated to saints as a way of showing gratitude for being saved from illness, accidents and other disasters. 

The little guide provided by the gallery describes the retablos as 'humble expressions of thanks for reprieve from the trials of life, they bear witness to a deep-seated faith and a common humanity.'  

The trust has 100 of them on display and I found the collection very moving.

Lupita

My friends Jessica and Kartik chose Lupita on Villiers Street for an informal leaving dinner before they head back to the US.

I was the first to arrive so had chance to practice my Spanish with the waiters.

We had guacemole and tortilla chips as a starter and our waiter came to the table to make it in front of us.

Cochinita Pibul tacos (slow roasted pork)

Caribbean films at the Tabernacle

Not many posts back I was lamenting that I'd never find anything to do for Antigua and Barbuda. Luckily for me the Portobello Road film festival showcased a series of Caribbean Films at the Tabernacle between Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park.

I attended the event over 3 evenings and saw films from a number of countries, of which my favourite being from Antigua and Barbuda. It was called Memoirs of the Blue and was about the destructive relationship betwen a young couple told through a series of letters and flashbacks.

I also watched a harrowing film about child abuse from Barbados (a subject that you wouldn't have guessed from the summary in the programme), and a series of short films:

- Jesus TV from Venezuela about Jesus returning and getting his own reality TV show.
- The Village from Aruba, about a teenager getting hassled by gang members in his neighbourhood.
- 20 Years from Cuba about married life.
- Tree Fern Carver from Dominica / France, a short documentary.
- The Other Side of Carnival from Trinidad / USA, a documentary exploring the effect of carnival on Trindad.
- Raianbow Hill from Trinidad / Mexico a stop motion animation.

The Mexican Gallery

This is a sculpture of Huaustec Goddess from Mexico. According to the British Museums these statues are related to the earth goddess Tlazolteotl who was associated with filth and carnal sin.


I didn't realise that the people we call Aztecs never used this word to refer to themselves.  It means 'people from Aztlán' which was the ancestral home of the Nahuatlaca people.

This stone figure is of Xochipilli, the flower prince, who is a solar deity. He is the patron of feasting, dancing, music and poetry.

Xiuhcoatl the fire serpent.

I am currently trying to read books that have recently won the Man Booker Prize but the more I scratch the surface of the world history and beliefs the more I realise that I really don't know anything much at all.  So maybe I should switch reading material and then I can come back and write some more detailed posts about the period that all these artifacts are from.

Tequila tequila!

I was let down somewhat by my camera at Tequila Tex Mex in Notting Hill as I didn't have much battery left on my phone.  This was a shame as it's a very photogenic restaurant.

Actually how the place looks is probably the best thing about it, as it's not particularly cheap and the service was very slow.  We practically had to persuade the staff to take our order.  Still, I can't take the 328 to Mexico whereas I can take the 328 or the 31 to Tequila Tex Mex.  And they have a huge pile of sombreros on the counter which makes me wonder what situations they get used in.  Unfortunately a quiet Sunday evening doesn't seem to be one of them.

(Managed to get this photo at a later date)