Enrique Figueredo
Spiritus Gryphus Novus (Ara), 2017
Woodcut
44 x 66 in
111.8 x 167.6 cm
From the artist: Thinking about erasure of identity when embracing European symbols, I created griffins for use in South America. Riffing on the decorative motif that was popular in Medieval Europe, I swapped the lion-eagle chimera with anatomical elements of a macaw and a jaguar—animals native to the Americas. The reverse side of the block, which depicts the silhouette of the creature, was carved to embody the spirit of the griffin.
111.8 x 167.6 cm
From the artist: Thinking about erasure of identity when embracing European symbols, I created griffins for use in South America. Riffing on the decorative motif that was popular in Medieval Europe, I swapped the lion-eagle chimera with anatomical elements of a macaw and a jaguar—animals native to the Americas. The reverse side of the block, which depicts the silhouette of the creature, was carved to embody the spirit of the griffin.