Some reflections on symbolism as depicted in the masks made by Marta Díez Ojeda Ledesma Posse.
By Alejandro Caride
When Marta lets out her feelings, she is clear and outspoken. Thus, when her masks are viewed, they reflect experiences related to the subject chosen, as perceived by the spirit of the artist. This symbolism is not abstract, it is a living condition, it prompts action.. It reminds us of imaginary situations, as of shamans displaying their curing art, or helmeted Romans facing their enemies. The trip to the Egyptian Pharaohs’ tombs is depicted by the Lionesses guarding Tutankhamen at one of his three ritual beds in the antichamber of his eternal abode. The same searching spirit accounts for Marta´s interest in the Zaire masks, through the representation of female beauty, in the interpretation of the Chokwe culture. In this mask made of papier mâché she reaches the syncretism between cultures, replacing hard wood by means of the Italian technique. This transcultural syncretism is shown in the combination of sundry images and materials and in the presence of various cultures in a display that is at the same time multicoloured and multifaceted. The images and allegories represent the transit of human cultures through time, and the typical imprint they have left.. They remind us of their values and beliefs, as well as their spatial and spiritual setting, They reflect their fears and polytheistic rites of offering various sacrifices in order to ask for blessings or harvests, or thank for them. In our Latin-American lands, shamans used to travel in order to meet with the spirits reigning over the life of persons, so as to satisfy their requests and guide their believers along their earthly trip. Masks are universal symbols having various meanings. They used to form part of various ceremonies for invoking ancestors or as a protection, as well as in worshipping gods whose virtues were reflected in the ornamentation of those masks. This symbolic conception changed with cultural evolution and the monotheistic conception reigning over more modern cultures. It has come to represent universal protection as corresponding to each member of democratic, non-pluralist cultures, in expressing their beliefs and casting their votes while preserving their identity. So varied is the symbolic conception of masks, that they should be interpreted as cultural expressions of human groups, widening their present festive concept. This is the place where Marta´s work belongs, in her respect for their cultural symbolism and integrating it into the transcultural world represented by modern times. Upon visiting the exhibition, one´s attention is called to the concept of money, brought forward by the pained grimace from the person suffering the anguish resulting from its care and treasuring, i.e. changing its object. This is just the opposite to what is felt by those who do not have any and want it. There is pain also in the symbolic representation of the American flag weeping over the death of its citizens. As opposed to this, the Vatican flag is shown as changed by Pope John Paul II, who, with surprising serenity, sheds a golden tear and shows us his attitude in the face of death.
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Dr. Alejandro Caride. Jefe de Neurología del Hospital Alemán, desde 2004. Miembro de Honor del Instituto Literario y Cultural Hispánico con sede en California. Miembro de la Sociedad Científica Argentina fundada en 1872. Diploma de Honor del ILCH 2009