Stele of Light in Mexico City: Transparency, Blacking-Out and Separation of the Visible in Modern Mexican Public Art
Abstract
At the beginning of the 20th century, “transparency” became a key concept in Mexican politics. Many viewed it as the highest ideal, while political life followed a pessimistic and violent scenario. It is generally accepted that transparency was at the core of the democratic process, which began after the same party was in power for seventy-one years, and it was accompanied by a reorganization of the state and society according to the neoliberal model. Today, the direct link between transparency and democracy is impeded by the appearance of the socalled “surveillance society” in which the state and private corporations can invade the most private areas of private and public life. Transparency in such a context can lead to a rapid devaluation of the rights to personal secrecy, alienation, and otherness, which is facilitated by the seemingly voluntary inclusion of people into the world of digital technology. This article examines one of the most notable incarnations of the ideal of transparency in the urban environment of modern Mexico – the Stele of Light in Mexico City. Studying the brief cultural history of this phenomenon, as well as the controversy around it between artists and activists, makes it possible to not only reveal the context of mistrust that awakened an unbridled desire for greater political openness, but also the degree to which activists and civic organizations began to seek openness from the out of-control state. Public art is becoming an important platform for interaction and expressing competing opinion about what may be hidden behind “immediate” political truths.
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Review
For citations:
Ezcurra M.P. Stele of Light in Mexico City: Transparency, Blacking-Out and Separation of the Visible in Modern Mexican Public Art. Versus. 2021;1(1):253-289. (In Russ.)
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