because of this one art project that I began in the year 2000. (see below for more info) Once it began, it all snowballed into something bigger than I had ever anticipated. I just wanted to get the word out about what an amazing people and culture I've experienced traveling and living in Mexico off and on over the last 20+ years. I hope you enjoy this page and please feel free to comment and post
some of your favorite loteria artists, loteria images and anything loteria related. "La Lotería: An Exploracion of México"
This Installation is large in scale (approximately 10’x 27’) and consists of 54 small individual oil paintings on wood panels, each measuring 14.24”x 9.5” x 2”. I am excited by both the large scale of the whole installation, and the detailed paintings that draw the viewer in with color, language and humor which celebrates the culture of Mexico. I based the format of this installation on the popular Mexican game of chance called “La Lotería”. There are 54 cards in a Lotería deck. Each card shows an image with a word describing that image in Spanish -hence the total number of 54 small paintings in this installation. I wanted to paint images, impressions, and ideologies that would tell of my experiences of the Mexican culture in a fun and objective way. Though I have been traveling, and living in Mexico off and on for over 20 years, this installation was conceived while I was living in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mx. I spent 1 year in research on the historical and social importance of this game, and 1 year in production. Many images within this installation depict icons of humor, irony, and faith found throughout Mexico which are concepts that are often employed to deal with the harsh realities of life. These concepts allow many people living in Mexico to maintain sanity in a context, that at times, seem controlled by the irrational. I find this way of thinking very inspirational and infectious and hope the viewers of this installation will come to understand and appreciate this approach as well. Although this installation is only a small attempt to express the unique culture of Mexico, may passion serve as apology for imperfection. To view the original work please visit the website: teresavillegas.com
