IMMERSIA 2023: Mexican Indigenous poetry in Mandarin Chinese

As part of IMMERSIA 2023, Gabriel Covarrubias presented a solo exhibition at ANU’s Australian Centre on China in the World. The exhibition connected Mexican Indigenous poetry with Mandarin Chinese through translation, calligraphy, illustration and book design.

At its heart was the artist’s book project inspired by Juan Hernández Ramírez’s La Lengua de los Pájaros, bringing Nahuatl, Spanish, English and Mandarin Chinese together. Paintings and poster designs accompanied the book project.

A meaningful connection

It was here that Gabriel first met Santiago Cortes Alcocer, then Head of Political and Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of Mexico in Australia. Santiago and the then Mexican Ambassador, Eduardo Peña Haller, visited the exhibition. For Gabriel, this meeting remains an important part of the project’s story.

The exhibition was part of the festival hosted by the ANU School of Culture, History & Language, with support from ANU Latin America Week, the Mexican Embassy in Australia, Clandestino Canberra and the ANU Latin American Students Association.