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A Él Mismo.
Heritage tugs at you.
Born out of reflections of his families’ immigrations to the United States from Cali, Colombia, through Mexico in 1985, A Él Mismo (“To himself”) is a reflection on his experiences negotiating the border between his “Colombian” and the “American” identities and the inherited traumas of Spanish Colonization. A Él Mismo offers a timeline where Spanish colonization of what is known as Latino America had not occurred. Instead, these altars manifest the possibilities of what Pre-Hispanic cultures might have looked like had they thrived into the 21st century without the violence of erasure and extraction.
Through a votive, ritualistic process, De Restrepo weaves hand-worked textiles, primarily expanding the possibilities of his signature stapled fabric, la tela engradapa. By transforming the textiles into objects that border sculpture and fabric, he echoes the beliefs and technical artistry of his ancestors’ metalwork and their respect for materials and process. This alternative future is brought to life through portraits of his Abuela, Abuelo, Mama, hermano, and himself, giving flesh to the ancestors, while honoring those that lead to his being here.
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Before you is not art, it is life becoming.
Past.
Present.
Future.
Pure spiritual desire made manifest by hand.
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Doña Alba.
Mi Abuela.
Soraya.
Mi Mamá.
Don Julio.
Mi Abuelo.
Christian De Restrepo.
Yo.
Andrés y yo.
Andrés.
Mi Hermano.
Before you begin your journey through this re-imagned timeline, the world is called Perdida.
The name was pulled from the archeological site Ciudad Perdida, (direct translation is “Lost City”, locally know as Teyuna) located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. It was a site that was originally inhabited by the Tairona, founded about 800 CE, it consists of 169 terraces carved into a mountainside, a network of tiled roads, and small circular plazas.
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Click below to begin your journey.
