REBECA
MÉNDEZ

“Méndez, in her Homeland series, explores a sense of ambivalence—while her panoramic images allude to the sublime in nature, they simultaneously reveal their synthetic process of construction. Incorporated in each landscape is a short line of text capturing a sensation, memory, or experience triggered by the landscape, including references to sustenance—for example, the words ‘till the last tree’ over an image of cows grazing. The texts thus refer back to the core theme of landscapes being farmed, drilled, eroded, and melted for our ‘convenience.’ The processing of nature unfolds both on the level of mediation—in a photographic, panoramic landscape—and the actual harvesting of resources. The titles of the Homeland series and its individual panels introduce yet another layer of meaning, establishing a connection between current discussions surrounding environmental destruction and a more specific political context, that of ‘homeland security.’ Each of the six landscapes has a dominating, key colour: red, orange, yellow, blue, green and white. The first five of these colors correspond to the United States’ Department of Homeland Security’s ‘National Alert Threat Levels,’ from green indicating a low threat level to red representing a severe one. Realizing that the concept of peace was missing from the chart, Méndez created a sixth, white mural symbolizing peace as the most important ambition of humanity. Her murals occupy an ambiguous space without a clear horizon line—a space that raises questions about what constitutes security and what the cost of convenience might be.”

— Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art. ‘Second Natures,’ published by UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.


Exhibition History:
Each Day at Noon: Recent Photographic Works by Rebeca Méndez. Solo exhibition. October 13–December 12, 2006. ANDLAB Gallery in Los Angeles, California. Curator: Sunook Park.  (solo)