Leonel
Aldana
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Revisionist history works in favor of the oppressor as it allows them to be cleared of fault and negligence while attempting to erase the memory and existence of the oppressed. This chlorophyll print is from a project called El Pueblo No Se Olvida, which translates to “the people will never forget” and it is based around the introduction of the banana in Guatemala and the imperialism, revisionist history, and colonialism that came along with its introduction. Chlorophyll prints are made by literally burning an image into a leaf, in this case a banana leaf, by using the sun and time to kill off pigments in the leaves and leave behind an image that is imposed onto it. All of the prints in this project are made with images from my personal family archive or found images of weapons, machinery, Guatemalan landscapes, and men who were involved with either uplifting or maintaining their place in oppressing the people of Guatemala. Unless preserved within resin, chlorophyll prints themselves are unstable and are prone to fading and deteriorating, mirroring how memories and stories fade and deteriorate over time, especially those passed down orally. This project works to temporarily preserve these images so as to hold space for just enough time to allow the stories, memories, and histories to be passed on and remembered before they disappear completely. White supremacy, colonialism, and male domination have had long lasting effects on Guatemala and Latin America as a whole, but the memory of their effects is burned into the country through death and destruction along the way. No matter how often or how much people try to change history, the land will never forget and neither will its people.