Mexican Feather Art: Heritage at the Interface between Nature and Culture

Mexico is home to a rich avifauna. Birds and feathers have played a unique role in the social, cultural, and spiritual life of Mesoamerica, and they continue to be important to the people of contemporary Mexico. Birds serve as a source of identity at both local and national levels, even though some bird species are rarely seen nowadays. Rehabilitation programs and bird protection laws aim to mitigate the rapid loss of bird populations, and feather artisans have adapted to changing natural resources.

This talk will present a collaborative conservation project that began with a technical study of a 16th-century colonial feather insignia from Mexico in Vienna. It has since developed into something much larger – the creation of a replica using traditional materials and techniques. Once completed, the replica will be exhibited in the Mexica Hall at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. The audience is invited on a journey to Mexico to learn about the close entanglement of cultural and natural heritage.

María Olvido Moreno Guzmán is a scientific employee and conceptualises exhibitions at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico. She graduated from the National School of Conservation (National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH) in 1982 with the thesis “Conservación de arte plumario mexicano”. At that time, she learned feather mosaic techniques with Gabriel Olay Olay, “amanteca” from a genuine dynasty of a 19th century feather artisans. She obtained her master degree (Iberoamerican University) with the thesis “Encanto y desencanto. El público ante las reproducciones en los museos”; a work that contains the public perception of the copy of the “Penacho de Moctezuma” located in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. She obtained her PhD in Art History from the National Autonomous University of Mexico; in the thesis “La reproductibilidad contemporánea del arte prehispánico” she explores the relations between copies and forgeries. She currently conducts interdisciplinary research on feather objects housed in museums across Mexico, Europe, and Japan. At the same time, she is analysing depictions of feather clothing in mural paintings.

Carlos Barrera Reyes is a visual artist with a diverse approach in his work. His artistic practice spans a wide range of themes, from ethnography to social, collaborative, and participatory art. His versatility is reflected in the diversity of formats and materials he has explored throughout his career. Carlos is characterized by his deep social commitment, which propels his work in the art of social interaction and education. Since 2008, he has been the director of a social art project in collaboration with thirty indigenous communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca, focusing on promoting natural dye techniques. Since 2017, he has been leading the project for the revitalization and socialization of the textile collection at the Na Bolom Museum in Chiapas. Currently, he serves as a professor and a doctoral student in the Faculty of Arts and Design at UNAM.

Duration: 90 min.
To participate in the event, all guests need a valid museum ticket (or an annual ticket, a KHMembership or a membership of the Weltmuseum Wien Friends).
Registration  online  (limited number of participants)
Meeting point: WMW Forum