Teresa Margolles works with the presence of death in and beyond Mexico. Part of a yearslong research project on labour and migration at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, Tela Venezuelana (2019) showcases a human silhouette imprinted on a large, white cloth. The silhouette’s brown colour is derived from the dried blood of a young Venezuelan man, killed at the Táchira River in Cúcuta, on the Colombian side of the border. Placing the cloth over his body during the autopsy, Margolles allowed the blood from the man’s face, arms, torso, and legs to leave behind a lasting mark, at the same time creating an irregular, anonymous portrait of yet another victim of forced migration. The cloth becomes an undecipherable map or document with a strong material presence. The amount of blood bears witness not only to the violence inflicted upon his body, but also to the brutality experienced by thousands of Venezuelan migrants throughout their journey.
—Sebastián Eduardo
