Carlos Zapata 'Hearing Other's Footsteps'

To find out more and see a complete list of works visit the gallery website: www.anima-mundi.co.uk

Pensive, primitive figures jostle for space with pieces of rough  un-carved wood in Carlos Zapata’s atmospheric, bijou studio. Zapata’s  works are distinctive and accomplished, developed from the young boy who  made dolls with his Grandmother back in his native Colombia. A huge  sculptural foot, sewn in collaged scraps of hessian overshadows Zapata  disconcertingly from the corner of the room. Looming and unfamiliar, the  piece is paradoxically earthy, humble, emphatic and monumental.

Religious alters, paintings and icons weigh heavy in the memory of  Zapata’s childhood – in particular Saint Martin de Porres, always  depicted with a broom. This saint was thought to look after domestic  workers, who often kept a small icon with them for good luck. This is  true of Carmen, who worked for Zapata’s family upon leaving the jungle  alone as a teenager in search of a better life. When growing up, Zapata  recalls Carmen’s care as she looked after him - feeding him with food  and affection. Years later Zapata remember Carmen’s feet in particular,  she didn’t wear shoes very often, so her feet were worn - she lived in  an almost feral state, a hangover of postcolonial slavery.

Carmen disappeared from his Grandmother’s family house, and after many  years when no longer a child Zapata saw a familiar woman in a public  gardens - this lady was wearing a new skirt, thick-rimmed glasses and  once where there were three teeth, was a full set of false dentures, she  also wore new shoes, which covered her weathered feet. Zapata recalls a  sense of joy at seeing her transformed but also a palpable sense of  shock and shame, as this was the first time he had seen her as a human  being. “In my child’s mind I had this concept that she wasn’t really a  person. I used to think of her as earthy as she lived in the pantry amongst the sacks of potatoes and onions. Much of this work is dedicated  to the memories of Carmen, an altar to her ragged clothes and the  saints she prayed to – which were her only possessions. Carmen believed  that faith could take her away from the awful life of servitude, I hope  she had a good life in the end.”

Working through an unconscious process of making Zapata has revealed a  deeply personal narrative which extends in to a broader universal  analysis. These sensual and evocative works touch on themes of class and  race, alongside hope and faith. One cannot escape parallel thoughts of  the refugees currently fleeing war torn Syria, with few or no belongings  in search for a better life. This exhibition urges us to remember that  as human beings we are all equal. However we leave reminded that  equality does not extend to the opportunities that many people are born  to, yet whilst in the embrace of this series of works, we are comforted  by the fact that this person of low lying significance has made such an  indelible mark. Whilst monuments are built to the powerful and the  great, inside these walls lies a no less emphatic monument to one of  life’s lost and demeaned souls. Through ‘Hearing Others Footsteps’ we  are all better connected to the often solitary path of existence.

Gallery Director, Joseph Clarke. 2017