C H A N T A L M E Z A
LOCAL COUNCIL
CULTURE RECOGNITION
In 2019 there was a Public Ceremony held at
'Tecali Cultural Centre' to recognise five local Artists for their contribution to Culture in Tecali, Mexico.
The Visual Artist Chantal Meza was one of them.
CHANTAL
ABOUT HER HOMETOWN
" For generations my family has lived in this lovely village. My great grandparents, which I had the fortune to know, lived through the Mexican Revolution and the complex changes it brought to our society. Both sides of my family continue to inhabit some of the most important buildings in the Town, including what are said to be the first buildings constructed by the 'Spanish Conquistadors' . They in-fact appear in some of the Old Maps of the construction of the Town.
We have many hidden treasures in this peculiar Village; a Franciscan Ex-Convent, one of the first 'Corral de Comedias' in the Country, built in 1540, as well as a 100 year Ex-Hospital (1905). But possibly, most intriguing are indigenous ruins still hidden by the layers of soil and cactuses, waiting to be rediscovered.
To me, it is the beautiful mysteries of this place that makes me fall in love with it every time I walk its streets and see its wonders.
My biggest inspiration is, of course, its 'Artisan Stone Culture & Heritage'. My father, a proud Artisan has give me one of the greatest gifts for my art; The inheritance of an ancient and incomparable knowledge, that of 'Being an Artisan' from within. Not to shape life, but the encounter with its giving forms, which flow with the timeless stone and its infinite changing colours."
COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS
Franciscan Ex-convent
Former Hospital
Gregorio de Gante Theatre
Chantal's Family workshop: Mezher
Chantal working in her hometown
Back in 2014, Chantal walks through various parts of her Hometown and Talks about new Projects & Inspiration
Chantal Meza - Mural&Libros
@OmarRojas
RELATED PROJECTS
Chantal was invited by Museo de Arte Popular to create a piece for the
Biennale "Artisan among Artists", which she created in collaboration with
Tecali's Artisans.
‘CHANGES: Senses-Thoughts’ was an Individual Exhibition held at the Technology and Science Museum, Chiapas, Mexico in 2009. It consisted of artworks in oil, marble & onyx that brought together the artistic sensibility of an Artist and Artisans from the local village Tecali in the state of Puebla, Mexico.
Chantal was commissioned to create eight Illustrations for the Book
"Tecali through Time"
