Labor No.2, Erick Meyenberg
Year: 2010
Format: 18 × 18 cm
Client: Haus der Kulturen
der Welt, Berlin
Credits: NODE Berlin Oslo
Archive #10027
This publication was released as part of the Labor exhibition series at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin.
At first glance, it appears to be a 19th century anthropological treatise, but a closer look reveals an ironic analysis of ethnological attempts to neatly classify ‘race’. The springboard for Mexican artist Erick Meyenberg is the classic work Forjando Patria (Forging a Homeland) by Manuel Gamio, the father of Mexico’s cultural anthropology. In it, he conjures up the idea that society is held together by a common cultural identity.
In his sound and light installation, Meyenberg deciphers this ‘ideal Mexican’, whose genome has recently been officially decoded. He uses the LED colours red, green and blue, which stand for the indigenous people, blacks and whites: illuminated at the same time and with the same intensity, they result in a mixed colour - white.
The publication is wrapped in a poster, displaying a colour scheme that makes reference to certain skin colours, developed by the artist.
Year: 2010
Format: 18 × 18 cm
Client: Haus der Kulturen
der Welt, Berlin
Credits: NODE Berlin Oslo
Archive #10027
This publication was released as part of the Labor exhibition series at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin.
At first glance, it appears to be a 19th century anthropological treatise, but a closer look reveals an ironic analysis of ethnological attempts to neatly classify ‘race’. The springboard for Mexican artist Erick Meyenberg is the classic work Forjando Patria (Forging a Homeland) by Manuel Gamio, the father of Mexico’s cultural anthropology. In it, he conjures up the idea that society is held together by a common cultural identity.
In his sound and light installation, Meyenberg deciphers this ‘ideal Mexican’, whose genome has recently been officially decoded. He uses the LED colours red, green and blue, which stand for the indigenous people, blacks and whites: illuminated at the same time and with the same intensity, they result in a mixed colour - white.
The publication is wrapped in a poster, displaying a colour scheme that makes reference to certain skin colours, developed by the artist.
