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THE OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY Nissen is an inventor of solid forms that suddenly, seized by an enthusiastic breath, are sent into flight - spontaneous multicolor pollen.’ ----------- Octavio Paz This exhibition at the Tamayo Museum in Mexico City in 1983 was an exploration of a prose poem by Octavio Paz, ‘The Obsidian Butterfly’ - a lament by an Aztec goddess over her eclipse and conquest by Christianity. The idea that ran through this exhibition was the re-invention of an ancient pictorial form into the language of contemporary art, and discovering the hidden affinities that link them. The show included relief paintings, sculpture, graphics, and a dance/performance Nissen choreographed as an integral part of the exhibition. Nissen's conjectured codex 'Itzpapalotl’, a pictographic interpretation based on the poem was published together with a recording of Paz reciting his poem. |
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