Tree of Life, Adrian Luis

Gonzalez, Meyepec,
Estado de Mxico
Helmut Khl...
He who ensouls the
clay
by Liliana Ruiz Velasco
Dvalos and Susanna
Kirchberg

"He who ensouls the clay,

with a view from above,
composes, rejuvenates.
The genuine potter endows
his pieces with joy,
teaching the clay
to stand proudly,
speaking to the heart.
Toltec, with agile hand,
give life to your pieces
with formation,
know the art.
Another, who knows
the trade, but with
clumsy hands,
acts out life
as though dead."
from an ancient Aztec poem

Helmut Khl is not just the average gallery owner, he is an architect

of invisible bridges. Constructing traveling exhibits of Mexican arts
is the structural framework he uses to offer a link with which to
bridge the artistic souls of distant cultures. The blueprints for his
newest undertaking, Vida y Muerte, were on exhibit at his Haus der
Kunst, Puente del Arte Contemporneo gallery in Guadalajara, Jalisco
this past November. Scheduled to open in full splendor November,
2000 in Europe, Khls latest viaduct will offer a visual bridge to the
perceptions of death and life from the vantage points of Mexican and

non-Mexican artists.
The two-week prelude exhibit opened November second, in
conjunction with Mexico's traditional Dia de los Muertos (Day of the
Dead) festivities. Like a tantalizing appetizer of what is to come,
paramount works by Marco Antonio Castillo, Adrian Luis Gonzalez,
Theodor Riedl, Nacho Gomez Arriola, Ismael Vargas, Judith
Gutierrez and many other outstanding artists, adorned the exhibit's
main "altar" and surrounding spaces.
Marco Antonio Castillo's exquisitely detailed miniature "Tree of
Death," not more than five inches in height portrayed tiny
skeletons making merry on earthenware branches. Surrounded by
flying doves, plates of mole, mugs of pulque, and a colorful
assortment of fruits and vegetables, the work masterfully depicts
Mexican culture through the use of traditional popular art.
Flanking either side were two miniature Metepec "Trees of Life,"
created by Adrian Luis Gonzalez. Gonzalez's use of soft earthtones
contrasted marvelously beside the vivid reds, purples, yellows and
greens of the "Tree of Death."
At the foot of the installation altar, created by Nacho Gomez
Arriola, hung an impressive wool tapestry by Theodor Riedl (b.
Austria, 1954; d. Jalisco, Mexico, 1987), entitled Vida y Muerte .
The detailed textile personified Mexico's view of the endless cycle
of life and death by using an image of the human face... somehow
familiar, yet unknown, which softly melted into the form of a skull.
The view transforms itself into a child before regressing back to the
original central facial image.
Helmut Khl, along with son and gallery partner Christian Khl, will
be commissioning two works from each of these artists, and
numerous others, for the planned November, 2000 exhibit. Scheduled
to open in Chicago, Illinois before continuing on to museums in
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and Hungary this is
Khl's second international-scale exhibition featuring Mexican
masters.
In 1984, Khl, along with above mentioned weaver Theodor Riedl,
Miguel Carmona and Gilberto Ramos began researching,
documenting and commissioning works of traditional Mexican
pottery from one hundred and twenty studios located in fifteen
different states (in conjunction with the German cultural center, "El
Puente," who helped fund the project).
By 1986, the foursome had logged several thousand miles, assembled
three hundred and fifty-nine pieces and had compiled a 238 page
book, in German, cataloging the exhibit. "Wer den Ton beseelt...
Cermica Mexicana" (He Who Ensouls the Clay... Mexican Pottery)
ran for two years along side the "Glanz und Untergang des Alten
Mexico" (Twinkle and Twilight of Ancient Mexico) exhibit, under
the administration of Director Eggebrecht.

The sub-exhibit of contemporary Mexican pottery was so successfully

received that during the two-year stint, before the exhibition closed
its doors, invitations for showings from other European museums
were already piling up. The display traveled independently for an
additional eight years before being incorporated into the Hildesheim
Museum's collection in Germany.
The tremendous reception which these works received in western
Europe inspired Helmut Khl to open the "Haus der Kunst, Puente del
Arte Contemporneo" (House of Art, Bridge for Contemporary Art)
gallery in Guadalajara, Jalisco earlier this year. Khl, who made
Mexico his permanent home twenty-four years ago, intends to forge
an even stronger bridge between this nation's deep-rooted customs
and international awareness of Mexico's master artists. Haus der
Kunst gallery and Helmut Khl are a far cry from the "seduce and
plunder" attitude too often perceived as the "norm" in a nation which
continues to totter between the First and Third World.
As Khl wryly noted, "My friends artists, artisans, creators are
closer to my heart than some members of my own family. Together
we talk about what we can create for the future... not what we can buy
to profit' from. Not recognizing or wanting to know about the artist
of a piece is, in my mind, akin to what happened in Germany during
the 1940s... no one gains by wanting the art while destroying the
artist."
The exhibit, and publication which accompanied it, were named after
an Aztec poem which begins with the line, "He who Ensouls the
Clay..." Khl would like to see the German volume produced in
Spanish and English as well. He noted during a recent interview with
El antiQuario that of the 10,000 issues published, the majority were
sold in the United States. Wer den Ton beseelt was not exhibited in
Mexico or the U.S. Copies of the original book are available from the
publisher, El Puente GmbH, or through El antiQuario Magazine.
El antiQuario Tell us about the "Wer den ton Beseelt" exhibit
why was contemporary Mexican pottery being shown in conjunction
with an exhibition of this country's primeval arts?
Khl "The exhibit took place in four European countries and ran for
ten years. It was originally presented alongside the "Glanz und
Untergang des Alten Mexico" (Twinkle and Twilight of Ancient
Mexico) exhibition, by the Hildesheim Ethnic and Anthropology
Museum they wanted something that could encompass todays
Mexico as well as items from the nation's past cultures. We proposed
pottery right away because it has been a conducting rod to the soul of
Mexican culture from antiquity to present day.
We left the high temperature stuff out of the exhibit... organizers
there, and here too, believe that high temperature ceramics are quite
a new-comer to Mexico and are not really representative of the
country's original culture. Anyway, the initiators of the "Twinkle
and Twilight of Ancient Mexico" exhibition decided it was okay to
have traditional contemporary pottery included in the show.
Those two years of work spent documenting and commissioning
pieces for the exhibition made me realize that, in Mexico, influential

pieces of pottery were being produced in areas which were once prehispanic ceremonial centers. Every modern day spot that has
something important to do with Mexican pottery is close to a prehispanic site.
Tonal was there. Guadalajara was not. People in Tonal were
potters, I mean, they have been producing here at least 1,200 years.
Tonal is a ceremonial site, a place of traditions. It existed long
before the Spanish came and I think this is the case all over Mexico
when looking at centers which create traditional pottery.
We dont speak about a potter's tradition being introduced by the
Spaniards... the introduction of some materials and different
techniques, yes, but Mexican ceramics have been here for a long time
it is important to observe the extended history behind the practice.
We came up with this theory while preparing for the exhibition and
felt it was important to elaborate on the point. The history and
consequential links which connect this ancient art to the present is
not fictional. We made a map of Mexico, showing the current day
towns which are important pottery centers all are located within a
50 km radius of pre- conquest cities."
El antiQuario Distinction is often made between "works of art"
and "artisan's work." Does inspiration make a difference, or do you
feel the difference is the mechanical repetition?"
Khl "Actually, I do not discriminate so much. At home I have
paintings by friends side-by-side with other items which I consider
art pieces such as burnished pots. To me, the quality pottery
created by Tonal masters, or the Oaxaca burnished black wares
which is fired in a different manner makes me think... why do we
have to make such distinctions between "art" and "popular art." At
home, the items look great all together.
Why should a piece by Toledo, Tamayo or Ismael Vargas or
Arvalo stand apart from an item created by Antonio Mateos, winner
of the Presidential Award? This Tonal potter is a great artist, as are
Salvador Vzquez, Antonio Ramrez and the Pajarito family who
have created some superb burnished pieces. Jess Alvarez made the
piece which appears on the front cover of the exposition's catalog.
The Alvarez family, both the father and brother, have produced some
masterpieces in burnished pottery. The same holds true about Jimn
and his widow, Doa Mera, who is another grand master. And the
Bernab family, famous for the petatillo technique... I mean, these
are important artists.
Then there are other places, like Izcar de Matamoros or Metepec
where the Tree of Life is characteristic. Families over there have
rediscovered the techniques of three or four generations ago, working
once again with natural colors. Pieces by some of the most important
artists, like Antonio Castillo, will fetch two to three thousand
dollars each. You see, regardless of price, his items are art pieces.
Perhaps there lies the difference from popular art every day use of
an item makes the difference between art and popular arts. I believe
artisans are artists."
El antiQuario Why did you name the gallery "Haus der Kunst,
Puente del Arte Contemporneo"? Is there some relation to the
German organization, El Puente, which funded the traveling pottery

exhibit?
Khl "No. This is a different bridging. This time we would like to
take Mexican artists abroad and promote visits by foreign artists to
Mexico all nationalities.
Latin America is a land of creative people without a proper place in
the art world, lacking in promotion. Take Fernando Botero for
instance, he became much more famous after his exhibition of
sculptures in Champs-Elyses in Paris and I don't think that he is
so much THE Latin American artist, but rather an artist who was
greatly promoted. We lack that here. Names like Tamayo and Toledo
are just a few of the outstanding signatures from Latin America. Too
many
mexican artists remain "undiscovered" outside of this country... from
the A of Arvalo to Z of Zamora... and numerous in between."
El antiQuario What is on the horizon for future events and exhibits
in Haus der Kunst gallery?
Khl "We plan on sending a collection of pieces representing
Mexico's Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) abroad. The celebration
is very traditional here, and a unique representation of the culture. We
have received invitations from the Budapest National Museum and
also from Vienna, Salzburg and Munich. Switzerland, and an
important museum in Denmark, are also considering the exhibit. We
are coordinating with twenty-some artists, from Mexico and other
countries, to express the different perceptions of death and life.
The festivities which surround All Saints Day and the Day of the
Dead grasp both "art" and "popular art" in a single expression. The
death altar in Mexico, considered a non-art expression, is art... and it
is a source of enthusiasm and drive for Haus der Kunst gallery
another bridge to help span the chasm of unfamiliarity."

Fuente: http://www.elantiquario.com/article.cfm?story=9a