LAURA HERNANDEZ
by Shirle Gottlieb
(Museum of Latin American Art,
Long Beach) You may not be familiar with the work of Laura Hernandez,
but once you have seen Omnia: A Trip into the Realm of Myth
and Dreams you will never forget her.
An incredibly vibrant, affirmative voyage through life and death,
this extraordinary exhibit comes to Long Beach directly from
Bochum, Germany, where it was conceived and created. Five years
in the making, Hernandez' project is so enormous it fills the
entire 10,000 foot expansion of the Museum.
As the name implies, Omnia covers "everything"
in the universe based on ancient Mayan concepts: the creation
of the world with all its creatures, the demons of the dark,
and celestial beings from the heavens. Who would have thought
that such a young Oaxacan artist could create this nourishing
feast for the soul?
After walking through the Ometeotl (a dark passage, suggesting
death, where a hundred ceramic skulls are embedded in rocks and
sand), you find yourself outside the first exhibition gallery.
Here, you encounter 2 de Noviembre, Hernandez' powerful,
mythological scene of life and ritual in the underworld.
Inside the gallery, wrapped completely around the space, are
four monumental murals that depict Los 4 Elementos. Measuring
47-by-395 inches each, they are full of fantasmigorico imagery
of Fuego (fire), Tiera (earth), Agua (water),
and Aire (air).
"The Four Elements (detail #1 for
Elemento Aire)," watercolor on
paper,47 x 394", 1994.
The Four Elements (detail #2 for
Elemento Aire), watercolor
on paper, 47 x 394", 1994.
