Mariana Castillo Deball
El "dónde estoy" va desapareciendo (The "where I am" is vanishing)

2011
Original drawing, ink on paper, leporello, digital video, sound in Nahuatl, Spanish, Italian, German and English
Drawing unfolded 40 x 1000 cm
Contemporary Art Collection, with support from the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia
© Marianna Castillo Deball, Photo: Christian Wickler

The drawing “El donde estoy va desapareciendo” (“where I am is vanishing”) (2011) is ten metres long and refers to the “Codex Borgia”, one of the few surviving pre-Columbian codices - collections of illustrated manuscripts bound into books - from Mesoamerica. It travelled from Mexico to Europe in the 16th century and is now kept in the Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome. But facsimiles of this manuscript are common, and the Castillo Deball family also owns one. The drawing has been transformed into an animated film telling the story of the codex’s many adventures and mutations from its own perspective: from its rescue from fire when the Spanish conquistadors attempted to burn it, to a journey across the ocean; including various attempts over the centuries to fully grasp its meaning. It exemplifies the pre-Hispanic history of Mexico with its richly illustrated treasures, and their eradication during the colonial period.