José Galván Martínez
Magicas Escaleritas Magicas
2022, 32″ x 6″, Lino Cut Prints, Ribbon on Laser-etched Wood Slats
Escaleras Magicas are traditional Mexican Wooden toys I grew up with. . My parents did theirbest to provide everything I needed, including toys. However, it was rare for me to have toys off a toy store, and rather it was artisan toys they bought at mercados, which were significantly cheaper.
I enjoyed them and have very fond memories of the toys. I took the form of the Escaleras and used it to make an accordion book, within are prints of different toys such as a yo-yo, trompo, balero, luchadores, canicas, tazos, plastic dinosaurs and a loteria card.
Behind are prints laser-etched into the wood with the caption translated to: The toys of my childhood bring beautiful memories, nostalgia hurts so much, and distance a bit more, regardless these memories and those same toys, continue to be a fire that fuels my imagination.
The arrangement is inversed to force the audience to pick up the book and play with it in order to read to mimic the toy’s interaction.
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info@studiochannelislands.org / (805) 383-1368 x100