FIRST SCENE: ENTRE CABALLOS DE FUERZA Y CABALLOS DE VAPOR

Museo Jumex, Mexico City, 2022

Mexican artist Josué Mejía presents a mobile symphonic museography showcasing the journey of the characters from the ballet Horse-Power. The title is a play on words referring to the Spanish translation of the English concept "horsepower."

Horse-Power (H.P.) was a ballet from 1932 written by Carlos Chávez with choreography by Catherine Littlefield and set and costume design by Diego Rivera. The ballet addresses the codependent relationship between North and South America, critiquing the exploitation in Latin America and the working class as a result of international capitalism. These conditions are reflected in Rivera's design, where the characters are tropical species such as cacao, sugar cane, pineapple, and tobacco. For this installation, Mejía reinterprets and musicalizes Rivera's characters, imagining their journey from Mexico, crossing the U.S. border, and culminating in their performance in Philadelphia.

Marielsa Castro

Installation view Josué Mejía: First Scene: Entre caballos de fuerza y caballos de vapor Museo Jumex, 2022
Photo: Ramiro Chaves

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