migration

In dialogue with the rest of the paintings is a second body of smaller-scale acrylic paintings on handmade silk inspired by an encounter with artisan Moises Martínez and his family who are dedicated to silk production in a remote mountain village in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. Mazal was surprised to discover fragments of dyed silk which looked almost identical to some of his paintings and soon decided to experiment with silk as a sort of canvas. Mazal visited the village of San Pedro Cajonos, and immersed himself in the process of raising silkworms, spinning and weaving the silk, then finally coloring the fabric using dyes made of natural materials including flowers, tree bark and indigo. Similar to his other series of paintings, he added thick textured white brushstrokes onto the surface of the silk. What resulted is a series of intimate silk paintings infused with a sense of dynamism and movement.