TAME AND WILD
Maki Ochoa, born in Venezuela
The three photos were chosen from an archive of times and places that do not correspond to the moment in which they were shot. Each is accompanied by a caption that apparently deceives the viewer, but which in reality reveals the artist’s intentions, giving us access to his memory. A code refers to a catalogue where the fictitious date has the same importance as the real one. It does not matter where and when they were made, each of these images portrays Caracas, Maki Ochoa’s native city. They have in common a tonal uniformity that makes their temporal location indefinable. The have the opaque patina of memories, even if they were taken recently. They are ephemeral appearances, immortalized by the camera in a format that also contemplates error. They are déja-vu images introducing a further environmental superimposition. With a site-specific installation, in fact, the artist takes us to the Venezuela of his memories, among mango leaves, hooters and parrot cries – alter egos that refer to linguistic and mnemonic superimpositions. The cage that held them is by now empty, los loros – the Spanish for “the parrots” – have gone. With an oneiric interference, the space becomes Quinta Elizabeth, the house of the artist’s grandmother.
