Ofrenda de Barro
An encounter between Mata Ortiz and Oaxaca
The pottery of Juan Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, is one of the most refined expressions of Mexican folk art, known for the precision of its forms, the lightness of its walls and the complexity of its designs. It draws on the archaeological heritage of Paquimé, recovered by the master potter Juan Quezada and passed on to a whole community that keeps it alive today.
For this exhibition, master potters from Mata Ortiz made plain, undecorated vessels that were then entrusted to artists in Oaxaca. With no aesthetic guidelines, each artist found in the clay room to express their own vision of the Day of the Dead, drawing on its symbols, memories and emotions.
Ofrenda de Barro brings these perspectives together around a tradition deeply rooted in Mexican culture: a dialogue between the forms shaped by the hands of the Mata Ortiz masters and the personal interpretation of artists from Oaxaca. A collective offering that keeps traditions alive by reinterpreting them.