A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe.

Early anthropologists and ethnologists like James George Frazer, Alfred Cort Haddon, John Ferguson McLennan and W. H. R. Rivers identified totemism as a … (read more)

A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe.

Early anthropologists and ethnologists like James George Frazer, Alfred Cort Haddon, John Ferguson McLennan and W. H. R. Rivers identified totemism as a shared practice across indigenous groups in unconnected parts of the world, typically reflecting a stage of human development.

In 1938, the structural functionalist anthropologist A. P. Elkin wrote about how to understand totems. His typologies of totemism included forms and functions.

As artists we identify as one of those “forms”, a tribe, and by creating this artistic object we fulfilled one of the “functions”, conception of multiple meanings.

Totem 2

The structure and the concept for the totem 2 is inspired by the art of Alebrijes which are an important part of Mexican folk culture. They are artistic representations of magical creatures, to which in the spiritual guides of the Aztec culture are attributed to.

The elements of this totem were made using traditional techniques that were later digitised.The first, top alebrije was designed through engraving with the lino-cut technique and its character represents magic. The character in the centre, made with oil paint, in the shape of a snake is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. The third character, a dog, painted with acrylic and oil pastels symbolises friendship and personal ties.

These three elements epitomise our stay in Mexico, working under the same roof, bonding and collaborating.