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Daniel
Martin Diaz is a Mexican artist producing powerful images, seemingly
snatched from the underside of early Judeo-Christian mythology. One
of my earliest memories as a child was the way death and religion
played an important role in my families life".
The images he produces are heavily influenced by the Catholicism inherent
in Mexican culture, yet they take as their starting point the darker
side of the religion. Also playing an influential role is humanities
apparent obsession with the afterlife, almost as means of explanation
for the suffering our great race has known and endured over the years,
often at the hands of our brothers.
The otherworldly figures are often contorted and twisted, often-mutilated
into startlingly beautiful tableaus that play with archetypal images
and symbols. Using Latin texts and alchemical symbology to aid their
unnerving journey into the sub-consciousness of the viewer and with
a Byzantine slant to them, the sorrow and the longing found lurking
when the surface of religion is scratched is laid bare for us to see.
The spiritual figures displayed here, however, do not patronize us
with their compassion and forgiveness. Rather they appear mournful
towards the life of mortal man and at best attempt to offer sympathy
as those who understand the feelings of despair they too endure.
I
do not claim to understand these questions. I just paint and let them
reveal themselves to me#.
Diaz also creates music with the band Blind
Divine, a darkly ambient musical outfit, whose web page contains
many mp3s and video files created by the band.
Blind Divine has just finished writing the film score for the feature
film"Orphans and Angels".
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