Coyolxauhqui, Madre Cósmica

Exhibit of Coyolxuahqui, Madre Cosmica
Coyolxauhqui, Madre Cosmica by Gloria Osuna Pèrez (as presented at the Arts Visalia Visual Art Center, Visalia, CA)

Artist Statement

The project Madre Cósmica is based on Coyolxauhqui. The monolithic stone that bears her image was unearthed in Mexico City in 1978 precisely at the site of the Templo Mayor of the Aztecs. The image is of a woman lying on the ground who has been dismembered into five sections with serpent knots on various parts of her body. The life-blood is flowing from her and mixing with Earth to give life to mankind. The expression on her beautiful face is unforgettable…

Coyolxauhqui was the moon who struggled against her brother Huitzilopochtli (the Sun) continuously. When she fell to earth, she created a harmony between the earth and the sky. She created life on Earth. Like many stone monuments created by the pre-Columbian civilizations, the stone that depicts Coyolxauhqui is an astrological map. But I became interested in personifying her image as a woman....

- Gloria Osuna Pérez

Detail of Coyolxauhqui, Madre Cosmica by Gloria Osuna Pèrez
Detail of Coyolxauhqui, Madre Cosmica by Gloria Osuna Pèrez

About the Artist

Gloria Osuna Pérez (1947-1999) is a multimedia artist whose work consists of both clay and paintings. She was born in Madera, California and moved to El Paso in 1985. Osuna Perez has been featured in Latina Magazine and was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001. She debuted Coyolxauhqui, Madre Cosmica at the El Paso Museum of Art in 1996.

Events

Opening Reception
Tuesday, January 27, 4-6 p.m.
Thacher Gallery, Gleeson Library/Geschke Center

School of Education “Loft” Conversation 
with the Artist 
Thursday, February 5, 1998, 6:30 p.m.
Harney Science Center, Room 127