David Wojnarowicz’s work illuminates a desperate period of American history: the AIDS crisis and culture wars of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mexican Crucifix was created during a short but transformative period in the artist’s personal and creative life. In January 1987, the artist had recently returned from Mexico. It was during this time Wojnarowicz also learned that his mentor, best friend, and ex-lover Peter Hujar had been diagnosed with AIDS.
Between Coatlicue (the Aztec earth goddess) and Christ, Wojnarowicz painted a hurtling steam locomotive, northern Mexican mummies, and a crying child. Covered entirely in plastered Mexican pesos and news articles, this monumental work combines images of religious violence, capitalistic greed, and innovations in media and technology to examine the ways these elements work as one to control and corrupt both the individual and broader society.
