Gusanos (Worms)

Francisco ToledoWW-2013-132150

2013·Wool; pressed and needle punched felt, laser cut; appliquéd with cotton and nylon mono-filament·177.2 × 263.5 cm (69 3/4 × 103 3/4 in.)

<p>Unlike other artists represented in this gallery, Francisco Toledo is not known primarily for his textile work. Over a long career he has made his reputation through prints and paintings, but there have been two moments when he worked on textile projects: in the early 1990s, when he designed a series of tapestries, and during the last four years or so, when he made a small group of felt hangings, including this one. Separate tile-like units of laser-cut handmade felt suggest a floor surface. The worms, wriggling on the surface and emerging from the black gaps, seem to be eating the wool, serving as an amusing metaphor for the laser-cutting process.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 2013
Medium: Wool; pressed and needle punched felt, laser cut; appliquéd with cotton and nylon mono-filament
Dimensions: 177.2 × 263.5 cm (69 3/4 × 103 3/4 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Francisco Toledo

Artist

Francisco Toledo

Francisco Toledo was a Mexican painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose work merged pre-Columbian imagery with modernist abstraction and surrealist elements. Born in Oaxaca in 1940, he drew extensively on indigenous Mexican culture, animal symbolism, and the landscape of southern Mexico, translating these references into densely layered compositions that resist singular interpretation. His practice encompassed painting, etching, lithography, and sculpture, working across scales from intimate works on paper to monumental public installations. Toledo remained based in Oaxaca throughout his career, maintaining deep cultural and political engagement with his region.

Oaxaca, Mexico

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