Maizón

"I am the economical flour of the proletariat. I am the polenta of the immigrant and the crumb of those who begin life in a foreign land..."
- José Antonio Castellanos-Pazos, Prayer of Corn

As José Antonio Castellanos-Pazos shows in his poem, corn has always been the people's plant. In this exhibition, Spanish artist Assaf Iglesias elevates this humble crop to the level of art.

Originally cultivated by the indigenous people of the Americas, corn is essential to the history of the United States.

In "Maizón" Iglesias traces the history of corn in the United States from its origins to the present day. In the South, corn has not only supported the economy but also generated community. Iglesias recognizes both of these impacts with his corn works.

With ironed corn husks, Iglesias constructs monuments made by corn and made of corn: schools, warehouses, African American churches, and more. Using a material that seems very simple, Iglesias creates very intricate designs, demonstrating the complexity of the crop.

While corn has often represented abundance, it has also signified oppression for many people in the United States, particularly enslaved people and immigrant workers.

To reveal the dark side of corn, Iglesias resorts to modern techniques. Inspired by Walker Evans—a photographer known for his representations of the American experience during the Great Depression—Iglesias captures life in the corn fields in black and white.

Shot on 35mm film, the photographs of the vast corn fields are devoid of human presence, although the flourishing crops indicate the invisible work of the laborers who plant and cultivate the corn.