Written by Stephanie Carmon
El Zapote is a gallery located on calle 57 between 66 y 68. It’s a small and charming gallery tucked into el barrio de Santiago and is a gem on the art scene. They have three rooms where you can browse the artwork and it is located in a lovely colonial house. The gallery displays work from Mexican and international artists who take pride in their work and are very committed to their craft, creating new pieces all year round. All the artists represented at the gallery have a special connection with Merida and have at some point lived or passed through Merida.
You can find paintings, engravings and drawings with various techniques and influences behind the work. The artists currently on display are Lorraine Toohey, Renato Chacón, Marketa Loman Vogelova, José Luis Couoh, Stephen Aiken, Robert Gutowski, CM Pliego, Karla Sosa, Walter Cen, Stefanie Schikora and Michel Maugée.
Lorraine Toohey’s Dakini Exhibition
The gallery came alive last week as many community art enthusiasts went to see Lorriane Toohey’s latest exhibition of Dakinis. Consisting of 24 sculptures, three wire forms with illuminated paper inside and 4 moulded paper masks, her work is inspired by the Tibetan deities called Dakinis that pass down female wisdom. The pieces are beautiful and celebrate the feminine and her powerful energy.
In Lorraine’s words:
“A Dakini is a manifestation of liberating energy in the female form“ At times they appear beautiful and serene and at others they appear fierce and decorated with skulls. They remind us of the eventuality of all human life and an invitation to loosen our grip on the physical / material world.
I have been drawn to these deities because, more than anything else, Dakinis represent dynamic energy in a female form. Many cultures depict this type of energy in a male form and I want to populate the world with more images of female power and strength as agents of positive transformation. Dakinis represent both the agents of change and the change itself that I feel this world needs more than ever.”
The exhibit will be at the gallery into early January and it is absolutely worth seeing.
El Zapote Open Hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM 2:15 PM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday-Friday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
El Zapote is a great part of Merida’s vibrant art scene.
