Our Lady of the Wall
Christopher Spinelli (March 2020)
My submission entitled “Our Lady of the Wall” celebrates the Mexican people who are integral to the workings of NYC. The work in the form of a gilded renaissance altarpiece is dominated by an image of the patron saint of Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe that rises above the border wall on the southern border of the US. Also included is an image from the dollar bill, the Eye of Providence and Milagros.
The work in the form of a gilded Renaissance altarpiece is dominated by a traditional image of the patron saint of Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe that rises above the border wall on the southern border of the US. I selected these images to call attention to the plight of Mexicans specifically and the social justice issue of immigrants in general in today’s anti-immigrant culture in America. The central image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is really an iconic image for Mexicans and can be found everywhere in Mexican culture from churches to t-shirts to velvet wall hangings to tattoos. In my piece, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe rises above a replica of the border wall that we have heard so much about over the past four years. “Build the Wall” was chanted during the last Presidential campaign and the chants and tweets have not stopped since. Who could forget, “Mexico will pay for it”. I wanted to give the Mexican people a new icon for the modern era. Our Lady of the Wall is not confined by the wall but rises above it. Surrounding the image of Our Lady of the Wall are silver milagros which represent the hopes and dreams of the Mexican people who come to America seeking a better life. They swirl around the central image and above the wall like dreams floating in the air. Also included at the top of the altarpiece is an image from the dollar bill, the Eye of Providence. I wanted to call back to that campaign rally cry of Mexico paying for the wall and also to call attention to what this whole anti-immigrant sentiment is about – money. I created this piece at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis and before the Black Lives Matter protests spurred on by George Floyd, but this piece speaks to social justice for the Mexican people, some of whom are still interred in detainment camps. The current political climate did not make the plight of Mexicans any easier. Hopefully my piece honors the great cultural heritage of the Mexican people while also calling attention to their situation in today’s anti-immigrant climate. I wanted to provide a new patron saint for the Mexican people, many whom I see on street corners around NYC looking for day labor whose lives didn’t get any easier in 2020.
Christopher Spinelli: “Our Lady of the Wall.” Acrylic on wood and canvas with gold leaf and milagros - 16"W x 37" H x 2"D