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Treasures of Oaxacan imagination exhibited at the Denver Botanic Gardens

EXHIBITION OF ALEBRIJES BY JACOBO AND MARÍA ÁNGELES

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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In an impressive fusion of tradition and contemporary creativity, the workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles, renowned Oaxacan artists, has brought an unparalleled display of alebrijes to the Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG). About seven figures, inspired by the mythical traditions of their native region, San Martín Tilcajete, stand as monumental art pieces, crafted in fiberglass and meticulously hand-painted with intricate geometric patterns.

Tesoros de la imaginación oaxaqueña exhibidos en el Denver Botanic Gardens

MAGICAL FIGURES | Coyote-Fish from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles. (Photos/ Colorado Commerce)

The exhibition, titled “Spirit Guides,” showcases sculptures towering up to almost eight feet tall and nine feet wide, captivating spectators with their beauty and artistic solidity. Each piece is the result of a complex creative process, which includes conceptual sketches, papier-mâché molds, and subsequent fabrication in fiberglass. The alebrijes, with their vibrant colors and fantastical shapes, evoke awe and admiration in those who behold them.

VIBRANT COLOR | Armadillo-Insect.

GUARDIAN | Rabbit-Deer.

Jacobo and María Ángeles’ workshop also functions as an art school, employing over a hundred artisans. The maturity and depth of their creations have allowed them to gain international recognition. In fact, their collaboration with Pixar in the movie “Coco” has propelled them to worldwide acclaim, adding an additional layer of prestige to their work. Their pieces adorn the Rockefeller Center and other locations around the world.

CREATORS | Jacobo and María Ángeles.

FUN FIGURE | Monkey-Iguana.

Treasures of Oaxacan imagination exhibited

IN THE GARDEN | Butterfly-Deer.

The meaning behind these mythological creatures is explained by the Consul of Mexico in Denver, Pavel Meléndez Cruz. “There is a connection between alebrijes and Zapotec beliefs about protection and spiritual guidance. Alebrijes are the manifestation of the combination of the ‘nahual’ and the ‘tonal,’ concepts that represent the guiding animal and the spiritual animal respectively in indigenous cosmology,” explains Meléndez Cruz, who is also from Oaxaca.

“Spectators will then encounter hybrid figures, representing the ‘nahual’ and the ‘tonal.’ We will see, for example, a monkey-iguana. Or we will be surprised by a deer-butterfly. And we will be transported to childhood by contemplating a figure representing an armadillo-insect. This idea of combination deepens the bond between these figures and Mexico’s ancestral traditions,” concluded the Mexican consul in Denver.