Mola
Author: Darrow Hornik
Made for: ILAC 126: Latin American Art and Literature: 100 Years of Modernisms
Nominated by: Cristian Felipe Soler
My mom’s favorite memories of her childhood in Panama were of molas. Pillow molas, tapestry molas, craft shops selling molas, mini molas, animal molas, and the smell of molas. My mom grew up around molas. Molas were her introduction to the world of art -- her love of art. The molas were also my mom's introduction to Panamanian indigenous culture — a word derived from the indigenous Kuna word for clothing. I decided to use my mother’s memories to make my own interpretation of a mola. I made three molas, each depicting a different artifact that represented my mother’s time spent in Panama — her dog Pablito, a can of Tab soda, and a pill bottle from her local pharmacy. The goal of this art project was to combine my family history with the artistic history of the Kuna indigenous people of Panama. While both my theme and my approach modernized the mola, its roots are firmly planted in the San Blas Islands.
