hilitehead

From July 20-30th I attended a 10-day artist residency program in Oaxaca, Mexico. This was my first time visiting Mexico and the crazy magic that is Oaxaca city. I ended up muse exploring the city and scavenger collected various natural + cultural items to transform into identity alter instruments.

Here are some drawings I made on homemade tortillas.

Oaxaca is a charming city with a rich indigenous populous and deep Shamanic roots. I was highly inspired by the rich cultural colors and traditional patterns present in all the cultural tapestries and clothes. I loved all the bright and pastel building colors, the door designs, hand painted typography and the murals on buildings. I came right during Oaxaca’s famous annual Guelaguetza Festival so there were street parades, mask dancing, fireworks and an infinite stream of mezcal on a daily basis.

Drawings of busy people on the phone

Oaxaca has art everywhere. I visited various art/cultural museums and galleries, some highlights were the Textile Museum, San Pablo Cultural Center, and La Voce gallery among many others. I enjoyed going to the marketo and studying the artisans. I loved all the live music and passionate singing. I went on the Hierve La Agua tour where we visited ancient Zapotec burial sites, a textile factory and mezcal tasting. The cherry on the cake was Microenourmous interactive shamanic theatre experience. Each room had a different theme activated by multidimensional / multi sensory installations. The artistic caliber of the theatre was truly out of this world, imagine Meow Wolf on acid.