Mexico City, October 13 – November 10, 2005
Artists: Helen Escobedo and Marta Palau
For the exhibition 140 Años, Helen Escobedo and Marta Palau both celebrate their seventy years of experience, as well as their intelligence, their artistic talent and their sense of humor. They successfully challenge the myth that women aren’t friends. “So different physically, we are so similar in the paths our lives have taken: from being born the same day, Marta in Spain, me in Mexico, to dedicating ourselves body and soul to constantly renewing our art, but still finding the time and energy needed to manage, curate, propose and organize exhibitions which were non-conformist, daring and why not say it: memorable”, Escobedo states. “Timeless travellers, we have worked side by side from independent galleries to collectives, women of words, each committed to her very different ideals. Marta followed the magical side, working with plant fibers, tree barks, corn husks and clay. I followed more earthly realities, the human space and its disasters, and my materials have either been permanent or recyclable. Because of these differences, we have encouraged one another, as well as being very competitive, and why not, as competitiveness is pure energy. Each time I finish a piece of work and I look back at it with a critical eye, I always hear a little voice in my ear whispering to me, saying “what would Marta think?”.
