¡Oh, santa bandera!
Nahum B. Zenil
(A Enrique Guzmán)
[Oh, Holy Flag! (For Enrique Guzmán)]
By way of homage, Zenil uses this triptych to reproduce a 1977 painting by Enrique Guzmán’s from 1977. In Zenil’s version, the flag replaces the Mexican coat of arms with a screaming mouth, and the flagpole penetrates the anus of the painter’s self-portrait, metaphorically condemning the consequences of nationalist discourse on the subjectivity of dissident bodies and sexualities.
In 1997, the painting was the subject of a public debate during its presentation at the Museo Universitario del Chopo, in the context of the Semana Cultural Lésbico-Gay. Members of the artistic community and LGBTQ+ activists reacted emphatically to protect the work from censorship, as it had been accused of profaning national symbols.
NAHUM B. ZENIL (1947)
¡Oh, santa bandera! (A Enrique Guzmán), 1996
Oh, Holy Flag! (For Enrique Guzmán)
Triptych. Ink, acrylic, and oil on paper
Acquisition with funds from the Presupuesto de Egresos de la Federación, 2013
