Urban Art Hall, Berlín-Spandau, Klosterstraße 36-38 13581 Spandau
"Flor y Canto" by Oscar Axo

Flower and song

Regardless of which language they speak, people always use different systems to communicate with one another; be it through painting or food, we are communicating the entire time. 

The language barrier is never an obstacle, especially not in music: how often have you felt goose bumps when you heard a song in a different language? It sends shivers down your spine; whether it’s in Japanese, English, or Italian, we will always be able to connect with one another.

an appreciation of the truth

Something similar happens with Flor y Canto (“Flower and Song”), the mural by Oscar Axo — founder of the Colectivo Axolotl— who during his stay in Germany undertook an artistic intervention in Berlin’s Spandau district; “In this painting I wanted to engage with the concept of words and music because I liked a text by León Portilla about the concept of flower and song which in the indigenous world was to be transcended; about the way in which song and word were united”, he explains.
  In Flor y Canto we see a young man playing the guitar while looking toward the horizon, against a background of colorful geometric shapes that interweave dynamically behind him in a way that serves to highlight the main character. The background could be seen as the deity Xoxhipilli, who in the Aztec mythology is the god of love, pleasure, and beauty. His presence underlines the joy and beauty of the song, and particularly of the Mexican music, which through the skin color of our protagonist, the brilliant colors, and the sculpture reinforce the Mexican identity in Germany.
 
“In the pre-Hispanic tradition, Flor y Canto represents an appreciation of the truth that the Náhua believed was only possible through poetic creation, through song”, comments Oscar Axo.
  While working in Berlin, Oscar got to know a number of German muralists and others who, like him, were visiting the city: “I was surprised at how the others approached me and talked to me about their views of Mexican realism and about how we perceive reality in a different way, and were surprised at how we use pure colors, which is unusual; the shades of gray and splashes of color that end up creating this multicolored fiesta”, says Oscar, talking about his experiences in Germany.