Art, memory, and disappearance in contemporary Mexico: A conversation with Alfredo López Casanova

Abstract

In his work, the Mexican sculptor Alfredo López Casanova pushes the boundaries of both art and politics. For Violence: An international journal, he takes a look back at his personal and collective trajectory, from his early and “natural” political and social commitment in his neighborhood to the tragic reality of contemporary Mexico. He reflects on several of his previous individual works, such as the bronze sculpture Fray Antonio Alcalde, and collective projects he is a part of, such as “Huellas de la Memoria” (Footprints of Memory). For the latter initiative, the intimate recollections of the families of disappeared persons are engraved on the soles of shoes, powerfully illustrating how the construction of memory goes hand in hand with calls for justice and truth.