Tania Candiani

To create Una pintura que es una acción y viceversa (A painting that is an action and vice versa), Tania Candiani visited a “Nopalera” and wrapped herself with eight meters of hand-woven cloth, walked around it and crushed the cochineal on the fabric until it was completely stained.

The cochineal is a domesticated insect in Mexico that lives on the surface of the cactus, which has been cultivated since pre-Hispanic times for its red tint. The cochineal comes from Náhuatl “Nocheztli”‘, which means “tuna” (cactus fruit) blood, and is still used to dye textiles, color pottery, draw murals and paperback.

The painting, through the pigment of the cochineal, denounces the brutality and the pain. It acts as an urn for insects and aims to show the cultural value of this type of pigmentation