In Mendoza, the hometown of La Chola Poblete, a plethora of Marian cults, festivals, and processions dedicated to holy virgins take place. These virgins are venerated as patron saints. The artist approaches this theme from a fresh perspective. For her, “once revered and now burdened by the weight of history, signify a culture in the throes of crisis.” Her sculpture Venus Papas Lays is erected upon a wooden frame. The torso and visage are formed out of bread dough baked by the artist. The bread arouses associations of both physical sustenance and spiritual enrichment. It recalls the biblical tradition wherein Jesus breaks bread during the Last Supper, telling his disciples, “take, this is my body.” La Chola’s sculpture, however, presents an alternative narrative to this Christian parable. The virgin’s skin bears burn marks, alluding to torture and the witch hunts of the past. Concurrently, the bread body exudes a sensuality and mystique, indicating taste, warmth, alchemical baking processes, and creative endeavors.
The body, penetrated by metallic lances, lacks an abdomen, revealing only a scaffold. This is an allusion to the “virgen para vestir,” the “virgin to dress,” a tradition dating back to sixteenth-century Spain, where votive carts carried these figures during processions. While the upper body boasts intricate craftsmanship, the wooden base is adorned anew for each occasion. The stark foundation, existing solely to be modestly veiled, strips the feminine form of its sexuality. Yet, it also symbolizes openness, suggesting that gender can be as fluid as disguises themselves.
La Chola’s hybrid saintly creation, a fusion of Catholicism, Indigenous spirituality, and queer thought, is not a victim. Despite being pierced by spears, she radiates an air of invincibility. These lances, embellished with Andean symbols and monograms reminiscent of tools of the Inquisition’s torment, recur throughout the exhibition. In her depiction, the patron saint stands atop a mound of potato chips. Domesticated by Andean civilizations 8,000 years ago and subsequently exploited by colonizers, the potato embodies the theft of the seeds, culture, and traditions surrounding this crop, which evolved into a staple food in Western industrialized societies. In chip form, it transforms into an industrial commodity tailored to consumer demands, cut to varying thicknesses across North and South America.
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La Chola Poblete
Maria & papas lays, 2023
(Maria & Potato Chips)
In Mendoza, the hometown of La Chola Poblete, a plethora of Marian cults, festivals, and processions dedicated to holy virgins take place. These virgins are venerated as patron saints. The artist approaches this theme from a fresh perspective. For her, “once revered and now burdened by the weight of history, signify a culture in the throes of crisis.” Her sculpture Venus Papas Lays is erected upon a wooden frame. The torso and visage are formed out of bread dough baked by the artist. The bread arouses associations of both physical sustenance and spiritual enrichment. It recalls the biblical tradition wherein Jesus breaks bread during the Last Supper, telling his disciples, “take, this is my body.” La Chola’s sculpture, however, presents an alternative narrative to this Christian parable. The virgin’s skin bears burn marks, alluding to torture and the witch hunts of the past. Concurrently, the bread body exudes a sensuality and mystique, indicating taste, warmth, alchemical baking processes, and creative endeavors.
The body, penetrated by metallic lances, lacks an abdomen, revealing only a scaffold. This is an allusion to the “virgen para vestir,” the “virgin to dress,” a tradition dating back to sixteenth-century Spain, where votive carts carried these figures during processions. While the upper body boasts intricate craftsmanship, the wooden base is adorned anew for each occasion. The stark foundation, existing solely to be modestly veiled, strips the feminine form of its sexuality. Yet, it also symbolizes openness, suggesting that gender can be as fluid as disguises themselves.
La Chola’s hybrid saintly creation, a fusion of Catholicism, Indigenous spirituality, and queer thought, is not a victim. Despite being pierced by spears, she radiates an air of invincibility. These lances, embellished with Andean symbols and monograms reminiscent of tools of the Inquisition’s torment, recur throughout the exhibition. In her depiction, the patron saint stands atop a mound of potato chips. Domesticated by Andean civilizations 8,000 years ago and subsequently exploited by colonizers, the potato embodies the theft of the seeds, culture, and traditions surrounding this crop, which evolved into a staple food in Western industrialized societies. In chip form, it transforms into an industrial commodity tailored to consumer demands, cut to varying thicknesses across North and South America.
Further artworks from this exhibition
La Chola Poblete: Guaymallén
Pop Icon, Holy Virgin, Pachamama: La Chola’s Vírgenes Watercolors
Hard rock, Rolinga, Ballroom: La Chola Poblete’s Banner Installation
Materiality, Metaphors, and Opposites
Myths and Madonnas: Staged Photographs
Playing with Cultural Expectations: La Chola Poblete and the Nazca Lines
Venus Cacharos, 2023
The Striped Column: A Tribute to Freddi Mamani Silvestre’s Neo-Andean Architectural Style