Henry Ortiz (Peru) and Chris Tigra (Brazil)
Title: An Infinite Thing Dies When Gold Comes Out of the Throats of Madmen
Medium: Textile intervention w/ plastic found in the area devastated by illegal gold mining in the region of la pampa, Peruvian Amazon. Digital Archival Prints
Date of work: 2022
Dimensions:
Textile 51” x 36”
Two printed photographs on cotton paper. Dimension: 11.7” x 16.5”
Description:
This textile intervention is a record of performative action around a piece of plastic fabric that Henry Ortiz and Chris Tigra found in La Pampa in Madre de Dios, Peru. This is a dangerous area devastated by illegal mining, which has affected the area’s natural life and the health of the neighboring Native communities who are forced to live with this complex problem. Motivated by the encounter in the devastated territory, they created a manifesto with the collected plastic. The result was a map full of holes, like the void that lies before dead rivers and barren land. The dry grass that grew naturally along with the plastic was incorporated into the work, in a desperate self-embroidery. The accompanying performance action was carried out in the commercial area of the city of Puerto Maldonado in areas where gold and mercury are illegally trafficked, where extraction takes place with other raw materials also sourced from these mines.