Art

59 of 71

 

Ruben Trejo
Codex for the 21st Century
1997
nails
60 x 240 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Julia D. Strong Endowment and the Acquisitions Gift Fund 



Trejo's future-oriented "codex" consists of one hundred abstract characters or letters. Made of bent nails, the elements have no predetermined configuration. This work resembles the ancient writings (or codexes) of Mexico's Aztec and Maya people, updating their text with characters that viewers can interpret in their own way.



El "códice" para el futuro de Trejo consta de cien letras o caracteres abstractos. Hecho de clavos doblados, los elementos no tienen una configuración predeterminada. Esta obra recuerda a los textos antiguos (o códices) de los pueblos azteca y maya de México, actualizados con caracteres que el espectador puede interpretar a su antojo.

 

Copyright © 2001- , Terry Muse 
Revised: January 17, 2002
URL: http://black_and_hispanic.tripod.com/hispanichistory/
Contact: Terry Muse