Apocalypse at Solentiname
This work stemmed from my investigation into the arts community in Mancarrón, Nicaragua, which was destroyed during the years of military conflict in the area and has subsequently been rebuilt. The series of photographs I made documented my travels into the archipelago of Solentiname, a collection of 36 islands in Lake Nicaragua where Isla Mancarrón is situated. The route I took from San José, Csota Rica to Mancarrón followed the one set out by Julio Cortázar in the short story, Apocalypse at Solentiname. In the story, Cortázar describes the idyllic scenes he photographed on his visit to the island: the artworks made by its residents, children playing soccer in a field, and a picturesque church. However, when he arrives home and looks at them again, to his horror, the pictures only show images of ruin. The current inhabitants of Mancarrón preserve an important cultural, artistic and socialist legacy. In 1966, Ernesto Cardenal founded the Contemplative Community of Our Lady of Solentiname on the island. Cardenal, who was a renowned poet, a liberation theologian and a former student of Thomas Merton, brought his knowledge of religion, painting and sculpture to the islanders and encouraged artists, writers and leftist supporters to come visit the community. In 1979, Anastasio Somoza’s army burned many of the island’s buildings to the ground after members of the community who belonged to the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional lead an attack against government forces at the nearby township of San Carlos. During this conflict, three of the FSLN members who resided in Solentiname died and one was tortured. Today, residents of the island live in fear of Daniel Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo’s presence in the island who fostered strong antagonism to Ernesto Cardenal and his legacy and his ideas about the island’s future.
9 silver gelatin prints 6x6”
First exhibited at Hardscrabble Gallery in Vancouver
Printed with support from Eric F. Hood.
Bilingual booklet in English and Spanish.