M HKA Ensembles

Sculpture, 168 x 56 x 84 cm.

Collection: Collection SMAK, Ghent.

La Malinche was a Mexican woman who played an important role in the Spanish conquest of her country. Like Pocahontas in the U.S., Malinche was an indian who got married to the colonizer. She was one of the slaves of Cortez and later his interpreter and mistress; their son was considered the first “mestizo”. This sculpture of La Malinche was assembled using a combination of elements: on the one hand, those typically associated to an “indian” identity, and on the other hand “western” elements like her panties and bra. These opposite poles function as parodies of stereotypes and a metaphor of Malinche’s ambiguous character.

“It’s a true historical fact, about Cortez, the Spanish conquistador, and Malinche, the Indian woman” - says Jimmie Durham. “But it’s also such a story that it becomes myth as soon as it’s there. The mythical part that is important for us, for me is about what sort of self we have and what sort of other is the other.”

This artwork was first called Pocahontas at an exhibition in 1988, and later, reworked, became La Malinche, making a couple with the piece Cortez.