Cae
Magali Lara
Falls
In 1999, Magali Lara tested the technical capacities of the Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos in Guadalajara by commissioning a series of textiles based on her subtle drawings made in pencil and India ink on Albanene paper. This drawing, dated 1997, was particularly difficult: the barely recognizable likeness of a fallen tree trunk that the artist found evocative of loss.
For this association, Lara decided to exhibit the tapestry by using it to cover a futon that still conserved the shape of her body—and, implicitly, the loss of her husband, the artist Juan Francisco Elso. A line by Silvio Rodríguez, displayed on the wall, completed the scene: “And the causes began to besiege him/Ordinary, invisible/And fate began to entangle him/Powerful, invincible.”
The traces don’t register an object-cadaver so much as a field of possibilities and forces. In fact, the tapestry was damaged during an exhibition, and the artist incorporated her repair work as yet another layer of meaning. As is typical of Lara, her imprint and images don’t simply document appearances; rather, they undertake the transcription of the body’s sensations. Despite its sorrowful nature, this work crackles with vital energy.
MAGALI LARA (1956)
Cae, 1999
Falls
Embroidery on high-wrap wool tapestry, dyed with mineral anilines and woven by hand, mattress, and vinyl text
Acquisition with funds from the Presupuesto de Egresos de la Federación, 2014
