All individuals inhabit a body, each one unique from the others. We embody the first and immediate evidence of human diversity and shared humanity. If we recognize this, we could expand the possibilities of choice and dignified development. For example, adjusting public spaces to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities.
Both freedom of expression and access to information are essential to celebrate differences. We have vast potential to do this with digital platforms, but the challenges are significant as more people access and share them through these means. The digital space is also a public space and an area to be dignified for everyone.
Three people mounted on a crocodile and a jaguar floating above Aztec and contemporary buildings capture the attention of passersby at one of the most heavily used stations of Mexico City's metro system, frequented by both locals and visitors. Part of this attention is owed to the Trans Pride and Progress Pride flags, but also due to black stripes with "No a la censura" (No to censorship) in white letters. It is a statement by Les Gemelxs VS, Victoria Moctezuma, and Hugo Enrique Villalobos SolÃs. They are visual artists, performers, and educators, who aim to call for the defence of freedom of expression and freedom of creation, extending from the body to public space.
The piece of art (Self-Portrait in Mexico Tenochtitlan) is part of the exhibition Retratos. El paisaje de tu rostro (Portraits. The Landscape of Your Face). It gathers over 80 watercolour portraits of city inhabitants, the majority being LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. The artists reflect on inhabiting along with all those self-portraits. Much like within a city, a house, or an apartment, we inhabit a body and display its processes and stories.
The individuals and identities portrayed in our paintings and drawings are heroic symbols of triumph over censorship, oppression, ignorance, and violence to which we are still subject. They are allegories of the victory of freedom!
Following actions promoted by UNESCO globally to counter Hate Speech and misinformation, as well as the , the Communication and Information Sector of UNESCO in Mexico shares the voice of Victoria about ongoing challenges, but above all, to inspire taking action with the support of institutions.
Victoria Moctezuma says freedom of expression encompasses bodily expression (skin, clothing, movements). Ensuring this right requires protecting the lives that embody all types of bodies. However, historically, some have been invisibilized, segregated, or subjected to violence. The artist explains that this must change to foster healthier interpersonal and social dynamics that establish an environment of peace and development. This change is crucial to enable people to produce, create, and live fully. Les Gemelxs turn to the body in their artistic work as a symbol of resistance and the nude skin as a political statement of freedom.
My body is not forbidden. Our bodies should not be forbidden. Our lives are not forbidden
While the body transitioned from being considered sacred to something organic, natural, and personal during the Renaissance, acts of invisibility, oppression, and various forms of violence against bodies persist. Victoria explains that this is often due to bodies not conforming to certain standardized expectations or not being objectified from some privileged perspectives, which can sexualize these bodies even when they are not nude. Meanwhile, bodies that are fat, elder, disabled, transgender, and transexual remain polemical for some sectors, including the art field and within marginalized groups, such as bodies exalted by the masculinized homosexual culture that displaces others.
Addressing corporeality to counter Hate Speech
Victoria Moctezuma shares that she inhabits a non-binary body that can be perceived as feminine or masculine. For example, while walking in the market. She has experienced censorship, street harassment, and violent expressions. Her parents worry, yet they remain supportive. They've recognized that their children have built and found spaces of connection in their artistic journey.
For Victoria, art is a powerful instrument to drive action from unnoticed, novel, and kind perspectives, even for denouncing inequalities and violence. She highlights that art plays a special role when it addresses human diversity and dignity, especially in public or educational spaces, like "Portraits..." at the Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station. During this exhibit, her parents witnessed expressions of affection for the artists.
As a visual arts teacher, Victoria is part of a generation for whom the Internet is indispensable. It provides information to respond in day-to-day life, combat misinformation and prejudices, and allows people to visualize and share their stories and themselves. However, she points out that increased exposure also raises the possibility of becoming targets of hate, along with the mobilization of anti-rights groups. Therefore, developing strategies beyond digital is necessary while cyber presence is holding on.
Popping Bubbles
Moving beyond the digital is critical because the digital filter bubble still exists due to biases in technology and platforms, and the information dissemination is selected based on presumed consumer profiles, among other reasons. On the other hand, there's censorship on some platforms, often automated and lacking human analysis of the context and cultural significance of blocked content. Overcoming these digital filters will be challenging without media and information literacy, but initiating collective dialogues is possible.
Digital spaces should also be inhabitable and conquered. I'm not going to leave them. I'm not going to give up on them. I'll be there as I am in all other spaces... Both public and digital spaces belong to everyone and must be for everyone
With the proliferation of online hate speech, Victoria suggests building spaces and fostering in-person experiences to demystify ideas and engage in positive or even gorgeous conversations. The challenge is to ensure the safety and integrity of everyone while tools, methodologies, and strategies are reinforced by those who share themselves or undertake activism, social collaborations, or care networks.
We need to engage with groups that might not receive us well and dare to share our knowledge, bodies, and experiences. Share it and build a community.
The artist and educator propose a shift toward pedagogical approaches linked to art. Just as there are cooking or do-it-yourself furniture courses, workshops for sensitization, such as those focused on sexual and gender diversity, should also be offered and supported, she explains. These workshops can combat stereotypes, and their learning be grounded in and for everyday life, especially those aimed at adolescents and diverse groups.
Les Gemelxs lead drawing workshops with diverse bodily forms in the nude, promoting body acceptance and considering it a pedagogical element, all while seeking collectivity. They've encountered instances where individuals couldn't draw due to the impact of seeing a nude body. This is part of the transforming experience, especially confronting non-canonical or non-generic bodies.
Victoria explains: what one hates about oneself or dislikes about one's body is due to impositions, expectations, or biases. For example, age might be considered a requirement or a limitation for certain activities, or something on the skin might be seen as problematic. This kind of discussion is essential to acknowledge how the body displays different processes of struggle, resilience and hope for each one, even if the dialogue may seem restricted to private, intimate, or considered superficial.
A gym-toned body and an obvious beauty are easy to accept, but celebrating diversity takes time... White, slim, young beauty is valid because it exists, but it's not the only possibility. It's not the only existing body. Beauty is in everything and in everyone. Exploring different bodies combats violence.
Victoria and Hugo focus on the beauty that relates to surviving life. They utilize the landscape of bodies and faces to capture cultural heritages, stories, and latitudes, including adverse aspects, all in order to celebrate strengths.
Retratos. El paisaje de tu rostro
The exhibition by Les Gemelxs VS (Victoria Moctezuma and Hugo Enrique Villalobos SolÃs) is on display until August 8th at the Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station in Mexico City, by invitation from the cultural sector of the Metro Collective Transport System and the International Festival of Sexual Diversity, as part of LGBTQ+ Pride Month and the 45th LGBTQ+ March in Mexico City.
Stay Connected!
Les Gemelxs VS also offer free workshops in spaces provided by the Cultural Secretariat of Mexico City, such as "Xavier Villaurrutia." In celebration of its anniversary, a performance by Victoria Moctezuma will take place on July 26th at the Glorieta de Insurgentes.
Support
Become a partner or investor. Help us to implement and strengthen projects related to freedom of expression, access to information, countering hate speech, and promoting media and information literacy, to build a more just, equitable, inclusive, and peaceful world. Contact the Communication and Information Sector: cv.garcia-martignon@unesco.org
