Japanese artists debuts new mural in Izamal
Japanese artist Shinzaburo Takeda unveiled his most recent mural in Izamal at the Cecidhy Research Institute.
The artwork was created with the collaboration of a group of students from Yucatán and Oaxaca and depicts motifs from Maya mythology and cosmology.
“The mural is made up of figures that are somewhere between godly and animalistic. But within them are also the spirits of plants like corn and the mighty ceiba. In the center you can see two feathered serpents creating an infinite loop and a ponderous woman,” said Takeda.
The project was taken on as part of an art workshop within the 2021 FILEY Yucatán book fair.
Although Yucatáns annual FILEY book fair was held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a handful of related activities and workshops were allowed to take place in person.
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“We want people to take notice and come enjoy all the fantastic work that we are doing. It is so wonderful to see so many talented young people working and learning from a master like Takeda,” sad FILEY organizer Tania Chávez Díaz.
Several works by Takeda can be seen until June 26 at an exhibition sponsored by the Embassy of Japan in Mérida’s city museum.
Takeda was born in Seto, Japan but has lived in Oaxaca for almost 50 years. Aside from his work with muralism, he is also well known for his painting and printmaking.
Since late 1979, Takeda has been a profesor at Benito Juárez university where he has trained several generations of Mexican artists, many of them indigenous Zapotecs and Mixtecs.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer, adventure leader, and PhD candidate. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
