On Long Term View

For this site-specific commissioned artwork Paisaje desmantelado (Haikus de José Juan Tablada) / Dismantled Landscape (José Juan Tablada’s Haikus), Jorge Méndez Blake (b. 1974, Mexico) was inspired by Mexican poet José Juan Tablada, the first writer to introduce haikus to the Spanish language in Latin America. In the inaugural Macallan Art Prize-winning work, Méndez Blake examines the two books of haikus published by the writer: “Un día… (Poemas sintéticos)” [One Day… (Synthetic Poems)], 1919, and ”El jarro de flores (Disociaciones líricas)” [The Flower Jug (Lyrical Dissociations)], 1922.

By deconstructing the 99 poems contained in those books, Méndez Blake creates a visual composition that uses each and every word and punctuation symbol. While in general the themes of the haikus refer to nature, animals and plants, the words invite each individual viewer to create their own narrative, with personal connections colored by time and place.