Maque (lacquer painting)
For this final workshop series, la Galerie du 19M is delighted to invite you to discover the work of Obdulia Almazán, a master craftswoman of maque (lacquer painting).
“Death to planned obsolescence! Which renders expendable all it draws into its abyss of waste. The best design is not that which disintegrates, but that which remains. We want our clothes to last so that their whisper will be heard by other generations. Fashion is not ephemeral; neither is our planet, nor our relationships. Our relationships with the communities with whom we collaborate are abiding and fond.” writes Carla Fernandez in the chapter “Square Root” of her Manifesto of Fashion Resistance.
Workshops with craftswoman
During this workshop, participants will be able to try their hand at maque on a piece of calabash, creating their own designs under the guidance of the master maque craftswoman Obdulia Almazán.
Further information
In this free and collaborative workshop, participants are invited to paint on a large canvas with the help of Obdulia Almazán and to discover the different symbols and figures that accompany the major celebrations in the state of Guerrero, in south-east Mexico.
Further information
Obdulia Almazán Vázquez is originally from the community of Temalacatzingo, Olinalá, Guerrero, Mexico. The pre-Hispanic ancestral technique of maque was inherited from their grandparents and relatives and has been passed down from generation to generation. From a very young age, at the age of five, her parents integrated her into the craft activity of bules or gourds. Little children like her cleaned the pieces to remove the pulp inside and sanded them, then learned to burnish or prepare the surface with a polished quartz stone. As she grew older, she was integrated to make the maque, with the supervision of her mother. And older, his father taught him to make the frets and the drawings. It has been 25 years since her family cooperative group of five women was formed, where she has played an important role in marketing the pieces and disseminating the technique.
