Teresa Margolles: Death in Venice… Literally

In 2009, Teresa Margolles represented Mexico at the Venice Biennial. Her exhibition, What Else Could We Talk About?, consisted of nine works that caused a controversy in Venice and the art world in general, as they incorporated contentious objects made with disturbing materials such as blood found in public sites in Mexico, where narco–murders occurred. This MRP seeks to understand the dynamics of this exhibition, especially its conceptual and visceral evocation of death and violence. By analyzing What Else Could We Talk About? through the frames of abjection, nationalism/globalism, and the critique of luxury, I seek to elucidate why the works were considered shocking, yet also fascinating, to viewers. I also aim to explore the relevance of Margolles’ cultural formation in Mexico in her choice of death and violence as principal themes, along with the implications of the exhibition as a commentary on contemporary Mexican politics and society