UNLEARN

They are seated on their chairs, one behind the other in perfect rows, like a monoculture of corn plants. First line, my parents and uncles, second line my grandmothers and grandfathers, third line my great-great grandfathers and great-great grandmothers…The room is long and obscure, and although I cannot see until the end, I can sense eyes looking at me… I am intimidated by their number, the way some of them look at me, their expectations, their impending criticism, their authority by seniority. I wonder if this meeting is a failure or an opportunity for action. It’s my turn to speak and I wonder what my speech can be. An account? An accusation? A promise? A lesson? Let it be a lesson about how to unlearn; how to cultivate a field, or a human soul, aiming not to make it productive, but fertile, creative and self-sustainable.

“Unlearn” is a print installation composed of two series of editioned prints each one measuring 15 by 22 inches. Printed in lithography on cotton rag paper, the first one shows a picture of a monoculture of corn in which human faces are woven between the plants. The second print is a picture of a school classroom as seen from the viewpoint of the teacher, in which the students are seated in rows. This print was printed by Mark Wallis at the Tamarind Institute.