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Artworks
Sandra Monterroso Guatemalan, b. 1974
Composiciones Acuáticas III, 2019Indigofera guatemalensis and acrylic on paper55 x 70 cmIn the Composiciones Acuáticas (2019) series, Monterroso uses a blue Mayan plant dye, indigofera guatemalensis. This dye is made by combining a clay mineral, palygorskite, with the pigment from the...In the Composiciones Acuáticas (2019) series, Monterroso uses a blue Mayan plant dye, indigofera guatemalensis. This dye is made by combining a clay mineral, palygorskite, with the pigment from the native Central and South American indigo plant, indigofera suffructiosa. Since 300AD, Mayans have used the dye to decorate their bodies as part of the ritual to Chaac, the rain deity. Monterroso uses traditional techniques to make her own dye; fermenting the indigo plant and extracting the distilled pigment from its leaves. The indigofera suffructiosa plant was also cultivated and exported by Spanish colonists. Deemed to be sacred because of its colour, the dye became a valuable commodity that played a role in the transatlantic trade routes that violently shaped the 16th century global landscape. In her Composiciones acuáticas series, Monterroso covers the paper with a fabric soaked in indigofera guatemalensis. This technique allows the pigment to stain the paper naturally, creating geometric and marbled forms that are unique to each work.Provenance
Artist's studio; GuatemalaExhibitions
Sandra Monterroso: Dyed In the Wool. Cecilia Brunson Projects, London. (19 June - 30 August, 2020)