Kukulkán 9/20

The linoleum engraving technique, or linocutting, is highly esteemed and in modern times, used by visual artists all over the world, including. It is a variant of engraving where a linoleum sheet is used as the matrix. The design is manually engraved in a negative using a sharp knife, gouge or chisel.

Amate is considered a sacred paper, used in Mexico since over a thousand years. It is obtained by a manual process with the fibers of the amate tree.

Size: 40x60cm

KUKULKAN

According to Mayan mythology and the Popol Vuh, (the sacred book of the Mayans), Kukulkán is one of the creator gods of the world. Probably one of the most revered in the entire Mayan context for being the one who brought wisdom to humanity. The feathered serpent symbolizes life, light, wisdom, fertility, and knowledge. It is the master of the winds, of the water and of the day. It is said that it appeared from the west and that it is always traveling, like the day.

The Kukulcán pyramid rises with geometric precision in the middle of an esplanade that a thousand years ago was the political, religious and cultural center of the Mayan empire. Chichén Itzá means “mouth of the Itza well”, alluding to the cenote located to the north of the pyramid and which was considered a sacred enclave, as well as a source of essential fresh water for that city of temples, wise men and astronomers.

Author: Felipe Espinoza.

Lottas, a.k.a. Felipe Espinosa, was born in MexicoCity. He studied under many artists and printmakers in Mexico, including Agustín González, Alejandro Morfín and also master teachers like  Luis Nishizawa, and Quintín Valdez at the Nishizawa Museum. He has participated in group exhibitions in Mexico, London and Chicago. Lottas has also had multiple solo exhibitions at the Cozumel Museum, Mexico, and Lisbon. He won multiple awards for his printmaking and participates on a regular basis in the Bastille Contemporary Art Fair in Paris, Lille and other Art Fairs in Germany.

What distinguishes Felipe Espinoza from other print makers is the use of amate paper (sacred paper, hand made with the fibres from the tree with the same name), as well as the use of gold, silver and copper leaves in his work. In this regard, he earned a diploma in the restoration of art and gold leafing, from the Florence School “Oro e Colore” in Italy.

Lottas is mostly known as a printmaker and works in the techniques of linocut, woodcut, relief printing, and dry point. He also creates paintings in acrylic, oil, and encaustic wax.

Today he works with various galleries in the Riviera Maya, Berlin, Lisbon, Marbella and Prague. He lives between Mexico and Europe, taking inspiration in his Mexican roots and his travels.