Mike Muñoz tackles God’s presence in human history in his latest exhibit, titled Deus Historiae. Muñoz, whose last solo exhibit was held in 2002, says that his new works are now based on spirituality and faith, exploring themes that he can personally relate to.
In a piece titled “Novissimus Adam,” Muñoz depicts the physical participation of God in the history of man through the history of salvation: The Word Incarnate Jesus was both “perfect God and perfect man,” describes Muñoz. The triptych has Christian images and symbols on two panels. One panel has a silhouette of the cross with the word, “Salus” (Salvation) painted on top, while a carved skull, made of plaster, rests on the base of the cross. The other panel has an image of Christ, painted in gouache and lacquer, as an icon holding an apple in his right hand. The middle panel contains the verse in plaster: “For since death came through a human being the resurrection from the dead came also through a human being.” As the first Adam brought death, the new Adam brought salvation to man, adds Muñoz.
Another piece, titled “Bonus Inter Gentes,” deals with the “black legend” on Pope Pius XII. When he died in 1958, he was revered as a man of peace, a wartime hero who saved many Jews from the madness of Hitler and the Nazis. Years later, though, he was depicted as indifferent to the plight of the Jews, and was even branded as Hitler’s pope, says Muñoz. “The truth about Pope Pius XII’s deeds is slowly being uncovered, together with conspiracies to defame him.” The triptych shows a wartime image of Hitler cut into two by the image of a dove with an olive branch, the seal of Pope Pius XII. Light streams out of the image of the dove, and the middle panel, wood-carved and painted with the image of Pope Pius XII, bears the verse: “For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” On the side of the first panel is an image of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, symbolizing Soviet conspiracy against the Pope.
Muñoz says he is continuing to find new ways to use different materials to express his ideas. “I have always been trying to experiment with traditional painting materials and other art materials. I also utilize carpentry techniques and, at times, use light lamps for back lighting and fabricated materials, such as glass, in my works. I always like to explore and incorporate other materials and techniques in my works.”
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