Mais (Vicente)
2019
Tin Metal, Gesso, Paint, Graphite
5" x 7"
This ex-voto painting depicts the artist's father, Vicente, in his bed on January 6, 1991. Vicente had passed away from a heart attack in his sleep the night before, and at three years old, the artist knew what it meant. He recalls: "I locked myself in the room with his body and refused to let anyone in until my nanny bartered with me to exchange his body with the undertaker in exchange for corn."
A large brown "mariposa" butterfly symbolizes Vicente's soul that has flown away; the heron, a symbol of good luck and longevity, snatches his family away from him. The Tagalog inscription below the scene translates to: "In memory of Vicente Ancheta, who died on January 6, 1991, and whose corpse I traded with the undertaker for corn."
