Cleanse = rid (a person, place, or thing) of something seen as unpleasant, unwanted, or defiling. 2. free (someone) from sin or guilt.
The photo session follows in the footsteps of Ana Mendieta, a Cuban-born artist who immigrated to the USA in 196. Her works are generally associated with the four basic elements of nature. LIMPIO is a project that explores our relationship with the cleansing and clearing process. Purity is what we strive to achieve from the in- and outside, often paying more attention to the cleaning of our physical house, such as our apartments and bodies, rather than our inner house – the spirit and the mind.
The following series depicts the process of cleansing, both physically and metaphysically. Water, as one of the elements that our body mainly consists of, is a cleaning from the outside, while the purification process is supported by chamomile plants. Chamomile is one of the oldest and most widely used medicinal plants in the world, which is widely used in Mexico for the traditional temazcal ceremony.
A cenote (the location) is a connection to subterranean water and is typical for the areas of Yucatan and Quintana Roo. The Maya believed cenotes to be a gateway to Xibalba, the underworld, and the god of rain, Chaac, was believed to live at the bottom of these sacred wells. The Maya performed rituals and ceremonies at sacred cenotes to ask for rain and good crops. The clothes worn in the photograph are custom-made of Mexican fabrics, which are usually used as home rags. The metaphorical aspect of the outfit, combined with the purifying force of water and plant medicine, plays with the duality of cleaning our physical and spiritual homes and duality in general.