Oaxaca de Juárez.— The choice of the work “Embroidery of Tradition and Identity” by the artist Luis Fernando Ramírez García as the official image of “July, month of the Guelaguetza” was not entirely well received by Internet users and users of social networks, who through comments in the publication of the official announcement and even in networks of officials such as the Secretary of Tourism, Saymi Pineda, and Governor Salomón Jara, expressed their discontent.
The image, which according to the Oaxaca government was chosen by an expert jury that chose it “unanimously” and “complies with all the graphic elements requested in the call, as well as presenting a high margin of graphic functionality,” is a representation of the Flor de piña dance and shows three women on a gourd.
Also, the jury assured that it reflects “the hard work and process” of artisans, in addition to using the ethnic and cultural components of the eight regions of the state of Oaxaca.
Despite this, users consider that the image “lacks color” and does not represent the festive spirit of the Guelaguetza, considered “the maximum celebration of Oaxacan people.” They also question that it only represents the Papaloapan Basin region and especially “Flor de Piña”, considered one of the most representative dances of the Guelaguetza but not the only one that deserves to be the image to promote it.
For example, on the Guelaguetza Oficial Facebook page, the publication of the announcement of the winning work, which will receive an award of 50,000 pesos, has caused almost 7,000 reactions, more than half rejection: 3,276 of sadness, 353 of laughter and 210 anger.
After a general rejection of the choice of the work “Embroidery of Tradition and Identity” by the artist Luis Fernando Ramírez García as the official image of “July, month of the Guelaguetza”, this Tuesday, 24 hours after the official announcement, the government from Oaxaca backed down on its decision and will repeat the contest, government sources confirmed to EL UNIVERSAL.
The decision to withdraw the award to the young artist, originally from San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, for whose work he would receive financial support of 50,000 pesos, publicity at the state, national and international level and would be part of the exhibition Brushstrokes of Identity 2023, was made after thousands of criticisms from users of social networks, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the piece presented this Monday by the Secretary of Tourism, Saymi Pineda, and Governor Salomón Jara.
Added to this widespread rejection is now the complaint of alleged plagiarism, since it is accused that the artist replicated an image by photographer Diego Huerta, who took an image of a Tuxtepecan woman with the same clothing and pose as the winning work.
Source: El Universal
