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Nuevo México Profundo:
Photographs by Miguel Gandert
November 18, 2001 - January 9,
2002
The Harwood Museum
of Art will present an exhibition by internationally acclaimed New Mexico
Photographer Miguel Gandert, Nuevo México Profundo, from November
18, 2001 to January 9, 2002. 
Considering
the focus of the news media today, the subject of this exhibition is particularly
timely as it documents a unique New Mexico tradition which includes the
struggle between Christianity and Islam, dating back to the Spanish conquest
of New Mexico. The thirty-seven photographs depict the religious and secular
rites of Hispanic New Mexico and were taken in the communities of Ranchos
de Taos, Llano Quemado, Los Cordovas, Cordillera, Santa Cruz, Alcalde, Talpa,
Picuris Pueblo and Taos. Curated by Helen Lucero, the exhibition was organized
and is on loan from the Visual Arts Program of the National Hispanic Cultural
Center of New Mexico. (left: image from the exhibition Nuevo México
Profundo: Photographs by Miguel Gandert, Copyright: Miguel Gandert,
El Comache David, Talpa, NM, 1996, gelatin silver print)
An Española native, Gandert has been photographing
the social rituals, people and landscapes of his native New Mexico for over
20 years. Since receiving both Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University
of New Mexico, he has gained international acclaim from past exhibitions
in Spain, Mexico, Norway, Russia and the Ukraine. Gandert has exhibited
in some of the nation's leading museums including the National Museum of
American Art, Washington D.C.; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York;
the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Denver Art Museum. He is
currently an associate professor at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Gandert's exhibition Nuevo México
Profundo documents the sacred rituals and dances of the people of the
Upper Rio Grande River Valley. Included are images of the Matachines conquest
dance drama, complete with monsters and bull, and the multifaceted Comanche
celebration, with the equestrian victory play and dance. The oldest Spanish
folk play that was used in the conquest and is still seen in New Mexico
today is "Mores y Christianos," illustrating the epic struggle
between Christianity and Islam. (left: image from the exhibition
Nuevo México Profundo: Photographs by Miguel Gandert, Copyright:
Miguel Gandert, El Comache David, Talpa, NM, 1996, gelatin silver print)
The photography of Miguel Gandert portrays some of the
oldest memories of New Mexico's Spanish past as well as influences from
the "Mestizaje," or mixing of the Native American, Mexican and
Spanish cultures. The Matachines dances are an allegorical reenactment of
the spiritual drama of the conquest, and also reenact a complex blend of
Indian and Spanish traditions. Los Comanches, the second great tradition
of the ritual drama can be linked back to the 18th century attack of the
Taos Valley by Comanche Indians. At every major feast, Hispaños and
Pueblos dressed and singing as Comanches may be found along the Rio Grande
Valley. In Picuris Pueblo, a northern Tiwa settlement, the depiction of
the Aztec warrior Montezuma dates back to the conquest of Mexico. The "Mores
y Christanos" an exuberant equestrian display and battle between Moors
and Christians complete with horses, armor, and firearms were enacted in
El Paso del Norte in 1598, but refer to the 1492 reconquest of Spain's Iberian
Peninsula.
Miguel Gandert, quoted in art historian Lucy Lippard's
essay from the book, New México Profundo, published by the
Museum of New Mexico Press, speaks of the spirit of the work:
- Llano. Talpa. Ranchos de Taos. The first sun of the New
Year rises to the beating of drums. Hispano Comanche dancers enter the
famed Santuario de San Francisco de Assis to pray. So begins the feats
of Emmanuel in the Nuevo Mexicano villages, the celebration of a holy promise
fulfilled. Divinity and humanity become one, so the people dance. Like
their neighbors at Taos Pueblo, the gente in these villages dress
in buckskin and feathers and sing their oldest songs on tribute to their
indigenous metizo heritage.
-
- Two days after Christmas, dust, thundering hooves, and
battle cries are raised in Alcalde, a village south of Taos. Los Comanches,
a folk play dating to the 1870's, celebrates the heroic struggle between
Españoles and Comanches. The death of Chief Cuerno Verde marks the
end of generations of violence and the beginning of a lasting alliance.
The public is invited to an opening reception for Nuevo
México Profundo: Photographs by Miguel Gandert at the Harwood
Museum o Art on Sunday, November 18th from 3-5 pm. Also featured at the
opening will be Los Comaches de la Serna dancers from Ranchos de
Taos, Talpa and Llano Quemado, who will perform during the reception. On
Thursday, December 13th at 7:30 pm, MigueI Gandert will lecture on his exhibition
Nuevo México Profundo.
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