Before America was “colonized”, there were schools of featherwork called amantecas. For Mesoamerican cultures, the use of birds was a reference to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent (god of Aztec mythology). This god was the protector of the art of the feather. Exotic birds were bred for the use of their colors. Feathers were used for ritual, funerary, festive and warlike purposes; it was an art of extreme skill. The first religious miniatures to circulate in Latin America were produced using this technique, which is therefore intimately linked to the birth of the image on this continent.

Omar Castillo Alfaro is a Mexican artist, selected for the Salon de Montrouge 2023 and currently resident at Casa Velazquez. For the Centre Pompidou-Metz’s Jeune Public workshop, he has chosen to blend traditional Mexican craftsmanship with images of today’s world in a colorful universe. In a mysterious and bewitching setting, using a multitude of feathers of every color, children are invited to create miniature images that will give rise to a new bestiary of figures. In the process, they’re introduced to the art of featherwork, reminiscent of the feather-making schools that existed in Mexico until the 17th century, and discover sacred Mesoamerican art, the respectful practice of which is in itself a way of raising awareness of the need to protect endangered species.