Infinitas gracias - Alfredo Vilchis Roque

Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, sometimes disturbing, this astonishing collection of contemporary votive paintings provides a glimpse into the popular Catholic culture of modern-day Mexico. Votives, objects given as an offering of thanks to a deity, are an integral part of Mexican Catholicism: when the faithful wish to demonstrate gratitude for a having prayer granted, they sometimes commission a painting to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary or a saint. Here is a provocative collection of the works of contemporary painter Alfredo Vilchis Roque and his three sons, from the 1930s to the present. These paintings give surprising thanks for situations ranging from drug addiction to earthquakes, Mexican wrestling to adultery, prostitution to September 11th. The artworks are accompanied only by translations of the words of thanks that appear on them in Spanish. Through these stirring votive paintings, we gain a glimpse of the hardships of life in contemporary Mexico.