PIÑATATOPIA

2014. P3Studio, Las Vegas, NV

In this installation piñatas were used as a medium to create a utopian world where collective views of Mexico were represented during a month long residency at P3Studio at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in cooperation with the Art Production Fund. The Valley of Mexico by Jose Maria Velasco was pixelated to serve as a backdrop for Piñatatopia and offer a distorted romantic idea of 19th century Mexico. These types of landscapes, which many times were internationally exhibited, were intended to offer signifiers of the newly independent nation. The Valley of Mexico was made to inspire viewers in helping the artist to create new symbols of the nation. 

The studio was divided into two spaces: An exhibit space and a design studio where a piñatotopic world was created through a dialogue between the spectators and the artist. Guests were encouraged to propose and design an idea for a piñata based on their personal perspectives of Mexico.