Maris Bustamante facts for kids

Maris Bustamante, born on November 10, 1949, is a talented artist from Mexico. She is known for her unique and creative approach to art. Maris has shown her work in many art shows, both by herself and with other artists, in Mexico and around the world.

She has created over 250 performances, art installations, and special "anti-shows." Maris Bustamante has even presented her performance art on television. She calls these "social performances" because they involve people who are not usually part of the art world. Besides her art, she also designs sets, costumes, and props for plays, TV shows, and movies. For over 30 years, Maris has been a respected teacher at a university in Mexico. She also researches and writes about conceptual art and performance.

Her Early Life and Education

Maris Bustamante studied art at a famous school in Mexico called "La Esmeralda." She attended this school from 1968 to 1973. It is one of the best art schools in Mexico.

Her Art and Performances

In the 1970s, Maris Bustamante started working as a conceptual artist. This means her art often focused on ideas and messages more than just creating beautiful objects. She was part of a movement in Mexico City called "Los Grupos," where artists worked together.

From 1979, she worked with a group called "NO GRUPO" for six years. Since her first "happening" (a type of performance art) in 1971, she has explored new ways to tell stories through art.

The Taco Patent

Between 1977 and 1983, "No Grupo" put on several performances each year. In 1979, Maris Bustamante led a very funny and satirical piece called Patente del Taco (The Taco Patent). For this artwork, she actually applied for and received a patent for the taco, a traditional Mexican food.

The taco and the patent document were photographed in a playful way. The images were then made very large, like cartoons. This was done to make a point about certain ideas in Mexican culture.

Polvo de Gallina Negra

In 1983, Maris Bustamante and another artist named Mónica Mayer started the first feminist art group in Mexico. They called it Polvo de Gallina Negra (Black Hen Powder). Their art combined strong social messages with humor. The group's name itself was a joke: "Black Hen Powder – to protect us from the magic that makes women disappear." This was their way of saying they wanted to protect women from being overlooked.

For one performance called ¡MADRES! (MOTHERS!) in 1984, Bustamante and Mayer both became pregnant at the same time. They wanted to experience and show what pregnancy was like in Mexico. Part of this project was a TV series on Canal 2 in Mexico called "Mother for a Day." In this show, Bustamante and Mayer "made" famous men, like TV host Guillermo Ochoa, "pregnant." A main topic on the show was daily life at home and how much work goes into being a mother.

See also

In Spanish: Maris Bustamante para niños