Javier Flores - "Aire," "Lumbre," "Tierra," "Agua"

Hello my name is Javier Flores, and I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in the One Sheet exhibition. Since I knew that the 4’x8’ size was going to be too daunting logistically I had Emily King (the Galleries Exhibition Manager) help cut it down to 4 – 2’x4’ sheets. I decided to create multicolor reduction prints using the pieces of wood as a matrix from which I would carve each color starting with the whites or highlights and working towards my darks. Some worked better than others due to when I printed them. The last 3 being the most successful. I decided to work with the theme of the four elements, air, fire, earth, and water. I have always been into alchemical symbolism and folklore, and incorporate it a lot into my visual vocabulary as a means to get across various meanings at different times, in this case I decided to use it as a way of representing my Mexican heritage. Being the son of immigrant parents, I was always taught to be proud of where I come from and for me that has a lot to do with symbols, animals and imagery specifically associated with my culture. The prints are the multicolor versions of the woodblocks. 

Aire – Air is represented using the eagle and serpent which are on the insignia of the Mexican flag. This image comes from the Mexica or Aztec prophecy that said the Mexica were supposed to build their empire wherever they saw the eagle perched on the cactus. This happened to be in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The Mexicas ancestral homeland in the southwest area of the United States was originally referred to as Aztlán. In the background as slight horizon lines are the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl which overlook the Valley of México and have their own mythology. The very top of the image is the moon in one of the phases where it is in a crescent form, this was done to enhance the aesthetics of the composition but also to infer the idea of God as a woman. In many alchemical texts the moon is given feminine attributes and the sun masculine. 

Lumbre – Fire is signified by the Galapagos pink land iguana, an iguana that makes its nest in the area surrounding the top interior of the volcanoes that inhabit the islands. This animal is not native to México but since it is in the Latinx community I used this as the symbol for fire because only mythological creatures directly habituate in fire. Plus, the aesthetics were appealing to create. The iguana is surrounded by an active volcano. 

Tierra – Earth is embodied by the Mexican Grey Wolf which used to be plentiful south of the border but due to demonization has been hunted and killed. The wolf is a common symbol that I use to denote the way I feel politically. I feel like if we were actually a democracy that promoted people above all else, we would work like a pack where everyone is invested in each other’s best interest. The background is made up of our planet Earth and is flanked by two stocks of maize which are modernized glyphs of the Mexica images of them. 

Agua – Water is symbolized by the axolotl which is native to Lake Xochimilco in the valley of México. The axolotl is a salamander that reaches adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. They can also rejuvenate appendages. At the top are images of water based on Mexica glyphs. In the background is a wave of water emulating the look of Katsushika Hokusai a Japanese woodcut artist best known to represent ukiyo-e, the floating world. Hokusai is a huge inspiration to me and one of my favorite historical printmakers. 

I just want to thank the Arvada Center for this chance to share my art, and to share with you, thank you!