Margarita Cabrera

Arbol de la Vida
Presented by Sara Meltzer Gallery
February 16, 2008- March 15, 2008
Reception: February 16, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Margarita Cabrera

[Image from Arbol de la Vida (Margarita Cabrera)]
Margarita Cabrera
John Deere Model #790 (2007)

Sara Meltzer Gallery is pleased to present Arbol de la Vida, Margarita Cabrera's most recent body of work. Cabrera is best known for soft sculpture in vinyl that she painstakingly constructs and sews by hand. In her new series, Cabrera has employed clay to create life-sized facsimiles of agriculture and construction equipment.

The "Arbol de la Vida" dates back to the ceramic traditions of ancient Olmec culture, and is today among the most well known themes of Mexican folk art. For over 100 years, Metepec, Izucar de Matamoros and Acatlán in Mexico, have been known for their distinctive "Arbol de la Vida," which explains the origins of life - the biblical story of The Garden of Eden. Made of clay with symbols such as fruit, animals and biblical figures attached to the tree by wire, this depiction of the "Arbol de la Vida" embodies narratives ranging from Mexico's history to individual autobiography.

For Cabrera's Arbol de la Vida, she has replaced the traditional tree form with a life-sized replica of a John Deere tractor in clay. This symbol of the agriculture industry is accompanied by a series of tools: a hammer, shovel and wheelbarrow, all embellished with the traditional elements of the "Arbol de la Vida." The dissipating presence of Mexican craft is at the core of this body of work. The rapid rate of Mexican immigration and the influx of products made in China has forced many young Mexicans and craftsmen to abandon a legacy of craft traditions, many of which serve as cultural documents. Cabrera traveled in Mexico to research the rich and diverse history of Mexican crafts and to learn some of the techniques. The process involved many communities, with clay castings taking place in Juarez, Mexico; molding, firing and welding in El Paso, Texas and mechanical work in Mesquite, New Mexico.