[Oaxacan wood carving - Evolving Mexican Fork Art Exhibition] Contents : Works by approximately 20 major Oaxacan wood carving artists Presented by : graf media gm Curated by : 9brand, LABRAVA and graf media gm Supported by : The Embassy of Mexico Opening hours : April 2nd 2005 to May 8th 2005 12:00 - 20:00 Venue : Eicho bld 1F, 4-1-17 Nakanoshima Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan 530-0005 Admission : Free Related URL : 9brand www.9brand.com , LABRAVA www.ne.jp/asahi/la/brava/ Press enquires : Chiako Kudo (graf media gm) tel:06-6459-2082　e-mail:gm@graf-d3.com What is Oaxacan wood carving? Oaxacan wood carving doesnﾕt have a specific definition other than that is a wood carving art created in Oaxacan, Mexico. This is a folk art with a tremendous number of styles and it continues to evolve and diversify itself. In Oaxacan wood carving, you can see a lot of animal motifs and other motifs such as skeletons, devils, religious motif such as Virgin Mary, folklorist creatures such as Nahual which is believed to be an amalgamation of an animal sprit and human being, an imaginary monster called alebrije, plants such as cacti, and other combinations of these motifs. The approaches of artists/craftsmen to Oaxacan wood carving varies. Some receive acclaims as artists and their works are traded at a high price, on the other hand, some remain as anonymous craftsmen who make cheap wood carving souvenirs. Although a native Oaxacan is not the only one who make wood carvings, every wood carving made in Oaxacan has a earthy feeling and we can see the connection between the aboriginal sensibility and their traditional culture. Oaxacan wood carving, however, is not a traditional art and craft at all but it is a commercial craft work launched in Oaxcan, a renowned tourist resort, in order to produce commercial goods for tourists. From the 50ﾕs to 60ﾕs, 3 artists living in 3 different villages near Oaxacan city happed to start this wood carving. In the late 80ﾕs, it spread explosively throughout Oaxacan, becoming acknowledged as Oaxacan wood carving. About Oaxacan Oaxacan is located in the southern part of Mexico where a large population of aborigines; a total of 15 aboriginal groups such as the Zapotecs , Mixtecs and Oaxacan, live and which is known as a mecca for Mexican folk art producing many great artists such as Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Toledo and Rodolfo Morales. The background of this environment is its rich and varied aboriginal culture. In Oaxacan Valley, in the central part of Oaxacan, there is a beautiful Spanish colonial city called Oaxacan city listed as a world heritage site, ruins such as Monte Alban , a cultural centre of Zapotec culture, and villages with their own characteristic folk arts such as textiles and ceramics dotting the area as well. In addition, 3 villages in Oaxacan valley, Arrazola, San Martin Tilcajete and La Union Tejalapam, are also home to this unique and coloured wood carving which has become known as one of the most popular Mexican fork arts. That is Oaxacan Wood Carving. The beginnings of Oaxacan Wood Carving At the end of 50's, Manuel Jimenez in Arrazola started to make animals and santos by wood carving in vivid colours, similar to the current Oaxacan wood carving. His works have been introduced overseas by international folk art collectors such as Alexander Girard. The result of his reputation and commercial success gave people full recognition of the merchantability of woodcarvings. In addition to this, he experimented in selecing motifs, materials, paints, techniques and other details in many ways and established the basic style and qualities of Oaxacan wood carving. However, it was in the late 80ﾕs when wood carving spread among people other than Manuel Jimenez's family and his relatives in Arrazola. In the end of 60's, Isidoro Cruz in San Martin Tilcajete's technique and talent was discovered and he started to make wood carvings. He advocated the creation of wood carvings in the village and supervised the techniques of making them, therefore this village produced more artists and craftsmen than the other 2 villages and they produced different kinds of works there. However, this movement was much smaller in scale than the explosive movement occurring in this village in the late 80's. Martin Santiago in La Union Tejalapam started to create wood carvings at the end of the 60's. It was also in the late 80's when the creation of wood carvings spread among people other than his families in this village. Most of the wood carving artists except for 2 artists, Manuel Jimenez and Isidoro Cruz, remained little known and wood carving hadn't been considered as a category of arts and crafts until 1985. The motifs used for wood carvings were still limited and weren't as diverse as they are now. It was in the late 80's when their creative potential finally exploded. Evolving Oaxacan wood carving (1986-) In the late 80's, Oaxacan wood carving, which until that point was little known, suddenly emerged to become known outside Mexico. It spread throughout North America and subsequently became very popular in the United States. The more buyers and tourists started to visit the Oaxacan area, the more the villagers started to make wood carvings. The number of people who involved in wood carving reached about 200 families. This was how the creation of wood carving which originally wasn't a local specialty spread among the 3 villages, Arrazola, San Martin Tilcajete and La Union Tejalapam forming a vigorous movement, the result of which it became to be considered as Oaxacan wood carving. Oaxacan wood carving dramatically evolved its style through this movement. Elaborately designed and multicoloured painted wood carvings were gradually produced and they became to be produced with a greater diversity of styles and various motifs. This can be explained by the fact that each artist and craftsman had to do all kinds of things in order to produce more items, and to sell them at a high price, and to build up their clientele. Not having roots in traditional craft, it was free from stylistic definitions and rules, allowing the craftsmen to diversify their styles. In addition, this method of wood carving as self-expression encouraged the appearance of a great number of talented artists, each producing great works and adding to the vibrancy of the movement. They have produced unique works brimming with both creativity and originality, along with their hearty service mind-set. This continued to elevate the popularity of Oaxacan wood carving as a folk art providing not only an artistic value, but a commercial value as well. Although Oaxacan wood carving happened to be invented, it has developed as though it had emerged by necessity not by chance. The area of production is gradually stretching to other villages in addition to Arrazola, San Martin Tilcajete, La Union Tejalapam. With the appearance of new talent and external stimulation, the craft continues to evolve and twist and turn into the future. It is a folk art that could only ever have been born in Oaxacan. We are indeed looking forward to watching its evolution and await its many surprises.