MIXED MEDIA
I Am a Soldier / Photo Collage on Wood / 20'x20'x2'
People’s ®epublic of ©hina
Visiting the Republic of China had a great impact on me, not only because of its fascinating culture and history, but also because I can now see a socioeconomic phenomenon that was once invisible to me.
I discovered the nature of exploitation hidden inside the commercial relationships. The investor gives a certain amount of money to buy a labor force, and pressures the workers to work more hours than usual, many times paying them even less than the minimum wage. Nobody is really indispensable in a country of over one billion inhabitants. As a consequence of excessive labor hours, families are becoming more isolated, where the "only child" grows up without the appropriate care from his parents. This unlimited thirst for profits goes beyond values, and what is worse, the Chinese are destroying the ecosystem in which their future generations will live. More and more Chinese people are adopting our Western culture, forgetting their ancestral heritage and methodologies. They dream of buying new cars and wearing foreign clothing brands; now they not only produce these products, they want to buy them too. The illusion of progress is changing their "Long life" for a lifestyle that is short, solitary, unhealthy and stressful.
Isn't it ironic that the great multinational corporations produce their collections in a country where everything is "cloned"? A country where "©opyright" laws don't exist? All of this is done to lower production costs. A big part of my work uses pieces of wood as a base. The color and texture of each piece of wood is unique. In this same way I perceive Chinese people, they may look alike, but each one of them is a unique human being. I also work with photographs, photocopies, and repetition of images, symbols and different printing techniques.
For many years I have criticized China, thinking that all they produce are cheap copies of the originals. What I wasn't aware of, is that nearly 80% of the things I use and consume daily are made in China. Almost everything that surrounds us has the energy of their work and the sacrifice of their people.
Through my work I realized that these millions of people that work in factories daily are only processing orders. However, they are not robots, they are human beings that feel, cry, love and dream.
China is a nation that is growing silently and incredibly fast. After every day that passes by, I am still amazed by their underappreciated intelligence. Little by little the "fortune cookie” monster is taking over the other half of the world.
“In honor of all the women in the world who do not have the privilege that I have of expressing myself freely”
Visiting the Republic of China had a great impact on me, not only because of its fascinating culture and history, but also because I can now see a socioeconomic phenomenon that was once invisible to me.
I discovered the nature of exploitation hidden inside the commercial relationships. The investor gives a certain amount of money to buy a labor force, and pressures the workers to work more hours than usual, many times paying them even less than the minimum wage. Nobody is really indispensable in a country of over one billion inhabitants. As a consequence of excessive labor hours, families are becoming more isolated, where the "only child" grows up without the appropriate care from his parents. This unlimited thirst for profits goes beyond values, and what is worse, the Chinese are destroying the ecosystem in which their future generations will live. More and more Chinese people are adopting our Western culture, forgetting their ancestral heritage and methodologies. They dream of buying new cars and wearing foreign clothing brands; now they not only produce these products, they want to buy them too. The illusion of progress is changing their "Long life" for a lifestyle that is short, solitary, unhealthy and stressful.
Isn't it ironic that the great multinational corporations produce their collections in a country where everything is "cloned"? A country where "©opyright" laws don't exist? All of this is done to lower production costs. A big part of my work uses pieces of wood as a base. The color and texture of each piece of wood is unique. In this same way I perceive Chinese people, they may look alike, but each one of them is a unique human being. I also work with photographs, photocopies, and repetition of images, symbols and different printing techniques.
For many years I have criticized China, thinking that all they produce are cheap copies of the originals. What I wasn't aware of, is that nearly 80% of the things I use and consume daily are made in China. Almost everything that surrounds us has the energy of their work and the sacrifice of their people.
Through my work I realized that these millions of people that work in factories daily are only processing orders. However, they are not robots, they are human beings that feel, cry, love and dream.
China is a nation that is growing silently and incredibly fast. After every day that passes by, I am still amazed by their underappreciated intelligence. Little by little the "fortune cookie” monster is taking over the other half of the world.
“In honor of all the women in the world who do not have the privilege that I have of expressing myself freely”
Back to gallery
®epública ©hina (Spanish)
Visitar China causó un gran impacto en mí, no sólo por su fascinante cultura e historia, sino también porque pude ver un fenómeno socio-económico que anteriormente era invisible ante mis ojos.Descubrí la naturaleza de la explotación oculta tras las relaciones comerciales; el inversionista desembolsa una suma de dinero para adquirir fuerza de trabajo humana, presionando al obrero a trabajar más allá del tiempo acordado a su jornada de trabajo; muchas veces de una manera infrahumana con un salario muy bajo puesto que nadie es indispensable debido a la fuerte competencia en un país de más de un billón de habitantes; como consecuencia al excesivo horario laboral se están aislando las familias donde “el hijo único” crece sin el cuidado de sus padres. Esta ilimitada sed de enriquecimiento va más allá de los valores, y lo más triste, es que los chinos están destruyendo su propio ecosistema donde vivirán sus próximas generaciones. Una nueva generación que cada vez adopta más la identidad y el estilo de vida occidental, olvidando sus raíces ancestrales y metodologías. Sueñan con comprar un auto nuevo y con usar ropa de marcas extranjeras. Ahora no solo la producen, también la consumen. Esta ilusión de progreso esta cambiado su “Long Life” por una corta, solitaria, insalubre y estresante vida.
¿No es irónico que las grandes multinacionales produzcan sus colecciones en un país donde todo es “clonado”? ¿Donde no existen leyes de "©opyright"? Y todo esto por el simple hecho de economizar en costos de producción. En gran parte de mi obra uso pedazos de madera como base, cada veta hace una pieza única y diferente a la otra. De esta misma manera percibo los orientales; aparentemente se ven iguales pero cada uno es un ser único. Intervengo mi obra con fotografías, fotocopias, repetición de imágenes, simbología y diferentes técnicas de impresión.
Por muchos años he criticado a China pensando que solo hacen copias baratas, sin darme cuenta que cerca del 80% de las cosas que uso y consumo a diario son hechas en China; Las cuales tienen la energía del trabajo de sus manos y el sacrificio de su gente.
Con mi obra me hago consciente de que estas personas que trabajan diariamente en estas manufactureras solo reciben órdenes, no son robots, son seres humanos que sienten, lloran, ríen, aman y sueñan. China es una nación que crece a pasos silenciosos y agigantados. Cada día que pasa me sorprende más su inteligencia menospreciada y poco a poco el monstruo de la “fortune cookie” se va apoderando de la otra mitad del mundo.
“En honor a todas aquellas mujeres en el mundo que no tienen el privilegio que tengo yo de expresarme libremente”.
¿No es irónico que las grandes multinacionales produzcan sus colecciones en un país donde todo es “clonado”? ¿Donde no existen leyes de "©opyright"? Y todo esto por el simple hecho de economizar en costos de producción. En gran parte de mi obra uso pedazos de madera como base, cada veta hace una pieza única y diferente a la otra. De esta misma manera percibo los orientales; aparentemente se ven iguales pero cada uno es un ser único. Intervengo mi obra con fotografías, fotocopias, repetición de imágenes, simbología y diferentes técnicas de impresión.
Por muchos años he criticado a China pensando que solo hacen copias baratas, sin darme cuenta que cerca del 80% de las cosas que uso y consumo a diario son hechas en China; Las cuales tienen la energía del trabajo de sus manos y el sacrificio de su gente.
Con mi obra me hago consciente de que estas personas que trabajan diariamente en estas manufactureras solo reciben órdenes, no son robots, son seres humanos que sienten, lloran, ríen, aman y sueñan. China es una nación que crece a pasos silenciosos y agigantados. Cada día que pasa me sorprende más su inteligencia menospreciada y poco a poco el monstruo de la “fortune cookie” se va apoderando de la otra mitad del mundo.
“En honor a todas aquellas mujeres en el mundo que no tienen el privilegio que tengo yo de expresarme libremente”.