Mapuche Portal #3, from the series Encoded Textiles

Guillermo Bert, Mapuche Portal #3, from the series Encoded Textiles, 2014, wool with natural dyes, and digital audio files of Mapuche Traditional Stories, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frances Spivy-Weber and Michael L. Weber, Denise M. Wynn, Michele A. Manatt and Wolfram Anders, and Donna M. Gottlieb, 2022.49A-B, © 2014, Cesar Guillermo Bert. Photo by Ronald Dunlap. Courtesy of the artist.
Copied Guillermo Bert, Mapuche Portal #3, from the series Encoded Textiles, 2014, wool with natural dyes, and digital audio files of Mapuche Traditional Stories, 80 1⁄2 × 58 1⁄4 × 2 1⁄4 in. (204.5 × 148.0 × 5.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frances Spivy-Weber and Michael L. Weber, Denise M. Wynn, Michele A. Manatt and Wolfram Anders, and Donna M. Gottlieb, 2022.49A-B, © 2014, Cesar Guillermo Bert. Photo by Ronald Dunlap. Courtesy of the artist.

Artwork Details

Title
Mapuche Portal #3, from the series Encoded Textiles
Artist
Performer
Date
2014
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
80 1⁄2 × 58 1⁄4 × 2 1⁄4 in. (204.5 × 148.0 × 5.7 cm)
Copyright
© 2014, Cesar Guillermo Bert. Photo by Ronald Dunlap. Courtesy of the artist.
Credit Line
Gift of Frances Spivy-Weber and Michael L. Weber, Denise M. Wynn, Michele A. Manatt and Wolfram Anders, and Donna M. Gottlieb
Mediums
Mediums Description
wool with natural dyes, and digital audio files of Mapuche Traditional Stories
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
2022.49A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2022.49A-B

Artwork Description


As machine-readable codes became popular in American life, artist Guillermo Bert noticed their similarity to the geometric patterns of Mapuche weavings. Bert collaborated with Mapuche weaver Anita Paillamil Antiqueo to create this Mapuche Portal. The artwork is both a material and a digital text. The handwoven Aztec Code links to the Traditional Stories of the Mapuche narrated by poet Graciela Huinao. Such stories, according to Chilean-born Bert, bring intimate insight into the experience of Indigenous communities in the Americas. The Aztec Code, typically used in the airline industry, features a central square pattern reminiscent of an ancient Aztec pyramid as seen from above. The code can be scanned by an Aztec reader app.

This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022




Exhibitions

Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
May 13, 2022–April 2, 2023
Renwick Gallery
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.