7 life-sized, mixed media sculptures (paper, fabric, natural fibres and acrylic over cast plaster and wire)
Date: 1998
Mulata Candelaria
Materials: Cast plaster, wire armature, acrylic paint, paper, fabric, hemp, jute, leather, corn leaves and cowrie shells.
Dimensions: 69 cm x 69 cm x 127 cm
Cacica Atabey
Materials: Cast plaster, wire armature, acrylic paint, paper, fabric, raffia, shells, jute and coconut.
Dimensions: 158 cm x 56 cm x 64 cm
Trigueña Isleña
Materials: Cast plaster, wire armature, acrylic paint, paper, fabric, wool, jute, plantain leaves, shells and coconut.
Dimensions: 148 cm x 61 cm x 51 cm
Negra Loíza
Materials: Cast plaster, wire armature, acrylic paint, paper, fabric, leather, jute,
cowrie shells, corn leaves and plantain leaves.
Dimensions: 130 cm x 76 cm x 64 cm
Plena Morena
Materials: Cast plaster, wire armature, acrylic paint, paper, wool, lace, shells, coconut, rubber tree leaves.
Dimensions: 148 cm x 61 cm x 51 cm
Marina Santera
Materials: Cast plaster, wire armature, acrylic paint, paper, leather, fabric, wool, jute,
sea shells and cowrie shells.
Dimensions: 148 cm x 61 cm x 51 cm
Borinquen Taína
Materials: Cast plaster, wire armature, acrylic paint, paper, fabric, sand, fern, gourd, corn leaves, beads, wool and raffia.
Dimensions: 158 cm x 56 cm x 64 cm
Artist Statement
Through my artwork, I strive to portray women in uplifting ways: in gestures of defiance, liberation, action, struggle and joy. I also like to celebrate the mestizaje (racial and cultural mixture) of my Latin American heritage.
Mestizas was a tribute to the Aboriginal and African women who lived through the colonization of the Americas and whose often forgotten legacy of work, strength, creativity, dignity and resistance lives on through the mestizas of today.
Parts of these works were made by casting plaster over my body (which I view as the body of my ancestors) and later assembling the pieces, painting and reworking them. Other areas were constructed by hand-weaving natural fibres or sewing leather and fabric over a wire armature.
This series marked a turning point in my career: it was the beginning of my exploration of life-sized, figurative sculpture, and with it, I started to develop what has become the main theme of my artistic production, across several media.
Taira Liceaga
05-2007
Shows
The full installation was exhibited as a solo show at:
De Tierra del Fuego Gallery, Montréal, Québec, Canada (1998)
Gesu Theater’s Creativity center, Montréal, Québec, Canada (1998)
Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada (2007)
3 pieces were selected for XXX (Visual Arts Ontario 30th Anniversary Exhibition), which toured:
Lieutenant Governor’s Office, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2005)
Lennox Contemporary Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2005)
Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (2006)
Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada (2006)
