In Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and in the countries of Southern Europe, there is a practice that associates violent death with purity of the soul. It is believed that people who have died violently, suffering tremendously, will have secured a place in heaven because of the pain they endured at the end of their lives.
These “popular martyrs” are venerated as if they were canonized saints. In the places where it is believed they have died, people leave some belongings they hold dear, such as the first shoe of their baby, pieces of hair, or their wedding dress. The site soon becomes a chaotic accumulation of everyday objects that are not ordinarily associated with what is shown as “art” in the museums.
Most people do not live surrounded by “works of art;” instead, the kind of everyday objects they offer to their “saints” constitute their visual universe. I wanted to depict these objects within their “sacralized” environments to rescue a visual universe as well as a personal offering to those popularly venerated figures
Gustavo Fares 