Eniac Martínez: Ríos

The route of the most recent trip of Eniac Martínez in Mexico testifies his interest in investigating the situation of the country’s rivers and the life around them. Since 2010 the author has documented three moments of the interaction between humans and water: one in which both coexist in an equal relationship, and those in which the force or the power of one dominates over the other.

This exhibition articulates these moments, which together showcase how social, cultural, political and ecological aspects have determined the (un)balance of the relationship between rivers and human groups settled around. The first, about human life next to the rivers, comprises various festivities derived from the rituals related to water, which are still alive in some villages in Mexico, situations of pleasure and joy in the family, and the very particular phenomenon of the people’s flow to Guatemala’s border. The second, gathers evidence of the negative impact of human activity on the rivers’ pollution and water shortages. Finally, in contrast, different scenes of flood show the power of the water and the vulnerability of humanity.

Ríos offers a complex and contradictory picture of Mexico nowadays. It invites people to question why, if the water is the source of life and abundance, when in contact with mankind, becomes often the vehicle of great struggles and injustices.