Aydeé Rodríguez López is a self-taught Afro-Mexican artist committed to making visible the history and voices of Black communities in Mexico. El hacienda de Guadalupe Collantes (2014) depicts the plantation system and the various stages of the cotton industry, symbolising the colonial system of enslavement in Mexico. Located in Oaxaca state, this hacienda played a significant role in the histories of Rodríguez López’s mother, grandmother, and great-grandparents. Following her grandmother’s death, the artist embarked on a quest to uncover her roots and her Black ancestry. The work represents a significant contribution to the recognition of Black people in Mexico, their struggles, visibility, and freedom, themes vividly addressed in Rodríguez López’s body of work. El negro Yanga (2011) honours Gaspar Yanga, an early liberator in the Americas, who led rebellions in colonial Mexico and founded the free African settlement of San Lorenzo de los Negros around 1618. Migración (2018) focuses on the Mexican–US border, contrasting human movement restrictions with the unhindered migration of birds and monarch butterflies across the continent.
This is the first time the work of Aydeé Rodríguez López is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Eva Posas
