The Stench of Indigenous Fumigation

My art practice is an exploration of the power dynamics of indigenous cultures in relation to identity and transnationalism. Informed by the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-90s), my work functions as fragments of a woven map, guiding viewers through the narratives of atrocities and displacement imposed on Mayan communities. It has been important for me to investigate specific ideologies of racial dehumanization by multitudes. The social behaviors of sport fans, and the relationship between humans and insects have influenced the development of my visual practice. This image is a photograph of a recent installation: The Stench of Indigenous Fumigation. This installation details the deforestation of Guatemala through pixelated patterns; based on the degree of deforestation, satellite image from 1979 slowly pixelates into satellite image from 1986. Between these years, the Guatemalan army enforced the scorched earth policy, which was designed to eliminate the Mayan Ixil community living in the mountains of Quiche. In addition to the pixelated projection is a fly animation projection moving around a mattress of fermenting bananas. The United Fruit Company was a subversive player in the fumigation the Ixil landscape. In this image the viewer is positioned near the projections, subsequently his body becomes another projected layer.Ope