An Amalgamation of The Americas : Santibáñez Servat
The work of Pablo Santibáñez Servat is a magical synthesis of occidental and indigenous visuals intrinsic to the Americas. Born in Uruguay to Chilean parents of European and Native American descent, the artist himself is a uniquely American amalgamation.
Santibáñez Servat often weaves ancient symbols with contemporary images as though no time has lapsed; he creates his own symbolic language, which seems to deny the very concept of time or at least the beginning and ending of eras, suggesting instead the coexistence of epochs or congruence of time.
Santibáñez Servat often weaves ancient symbols with contemporary images as though no time has lapsed; he creates his own symbolic language, which seems to deny the very concept of time or at least the beginning and ending of eras, suggesting instead the coexistence of epochs or congruence of time. Witness the Robin’s Egg blue toenail polish, and early Renaissance painted panels both present in a decidedly medieval setting.
Perhaps most evocative of this mixing of American symbology is “Diosa Colibri”.
She shares her eyes with two hummingbirds or colibri in Spanish, hence the title of the piece. Hummingbirds are often seen as symbols of fertility and abundance. In stark contrast to her is the flat representation of death, hands bound, in the background. The flatness of death only adds to the three dimensionality of life, depicted in the foreground by the subject and her accoutrement.
She is crowned with a life giving prickly pear, (a cactus fruit), and surrounded by a triumvirate of cacao pods which were once used as currency in Central and South America. Floating in space to her right is what appears to be a heart shaped peyote cactus, make of that what you will. The nude female chimera of European ancestry, bears the tattoo “sauvage”, French for “savage” across her chest with a devil underneath and literally holds her tongue. Is it simply a sensual pose as the artist himself says, or do I see something more?
…art is the ultimate Rorschach test, and Santibáñez Servat’s work certainly lends itself to a deep dive into the American subconscious.
- S. Conde
Pablo Santibáñez Servat’s work will be on exhibition in the group show, “Scorpio 1969”. Join us for the opening Thursday, November 7th from 6-9 pm at Conde Contemporary, 204 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables.