Until next November 17, the Fundación Casa de México presents the exhibition Two lines (faith), a series by the Mexican conceptual artist Stefan Brüggemann that alludes to our cultural heritage, the power of symbols, religion and history, Combining references to sacred art and muralism through large-format works.
Of the five canvases exhibited in this exhibition, curated by Mathieu Copeland, four are coated with gold leaf, one with silver and all of them feature spray-painted crosses. These seem to be two simple lines crossing but, at times, this crossroads is as fortuitous as the two lineages, the indigenous and the Spanish, that met to form the cultural heritage of Mexico.
Each canvas has a year in its title: 30, 1492, 1806, 1821 and 1830. These act as silent markers of some significant moment in history, religion and culture. As a centerpiece, Two lines (faith) (1821), presents a quote from Saint Augustine in Latin, painted with spray, which expresses: “Faith is to believe what you do not see and its reward is to see what you believe”.
And reflected in a mirror ceiling, the paintings are duplicated by converting the two lines into four. This effect alludes to the crucifixion of Saint Peter, who asked to be sacrificed face down because he felt unworthy to die in the same way as Christ.
