Aliento (Breath)
Óscar Muñoz
9 silkscreens on metal mirrors, diameter 20 cm each
Colombia 1995
Images: Exhibition view, INIVA Institution of International Arts, photo by Thierry Bal, 2008, courtesy of INIVA and the artist.
“Muñoz’s Aliento (Breath) is a series of works made of circular, polished steel mirrors. The perfectly reflective surface of each mirror hides the photographic image of a dead person. The image is hidden owing to the transparent silicone Muñoz has used to print it. As the viewer approaches the mirror, she sees her own reflected image, but as the viewer gets close enough to the mirror so that her breath fogs its surface, the concealed image of a dead person becomes visible. As long as the fogging persists, the other’s face is visible. As soon as the viewer steps back and stops breathing on the image (the secondary meaning of Aliento is 'encouragement'), the face of the dead vanishes and the viewer’s face reappears. For years Muñoz has concerned himself with the narcissistic contemplation of self versus concern for others.” (Castro 2008)
Óscar Muñoz, born 1951 in Popayán, Colombia, lives and works in Cali, Colombia.
More images
Reference
Fernando Castro, “Aliento,” in Óscar Muñoz, catalog for the exhibition November 13, 2009 – January 17, 2010, eds. Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber and Genoveva Rückert (Linz: OK Offenes Kulturhaus Oberösterreich, 2008).
See also
