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  Gabriel Kuri was born in Mexico.  
     
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Who what when where why

Who is the artist?
Gabriel Kuri

What is the name of the artwork?
Untitled (superama)


What materials were used?
Gobelin, a type of hand-woven
tapestry

Where is the artist from?
Mexico


When was the artwork made?
2003

Who?
Gabriel Kuri was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1970. Now he works both in Brussels, Belgium and in Mexico City. Kuri has created many types of art including painting, sculpture, installation, and drawings. He often uses objects from everyday life in his artwork. For example, Kuri has used shopping bags, cereal boxes, coupons, stickers, and even coconuts! The ideas for his work usually come from the things people do all the time.

Why?
Untitled (superama) is a tapestry, like a curtain or rug, made to look like a paper receipt from a Wal-Mart in Mexico. Tapestries in the past have been used to tell stories and keep records, but this tapestry is different. Some of the items listed on this tapestry include tuna and Cheetos. We would normally consider a paper receipt trash, but Kuri turned it into a beautiful tapestry with the help of some weavers. Kuri thought of the idea for the artwork and then had the weavers make the tapestry for him. The kind of weaving used for this is very detailed and difficult to do. It comes from a very old tradition in Guadalajara, Mexico where weavers have been making tapestries for hundreds of years.

Why do you think Kuri chose to make this tapestry so big?

Do you think this artwork is funny? Why or why not?

Why do you think the artist uses common objects? What statement does he make by using common objects?

This piece of art was designed by the artist, but then made by another person. Why do you think the artist did that?


Glossary terms
Installation - A work of art that is created for a specific place, often using materials or physical features from that place.
Tapestry - A cloth or textile that has designs or pictures woven into it and is often used as a wall hanging.


 
     
 
Untitled (superama)
 
Gabriel Kuri
Mexico, born 1970
Untitled (superama)
Hand woven gobelin, 2003
Museum purchase with funds from Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
2004.18
© Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

What does this mean?

When in time?
 
1962
Wal-Mart opens its first store in Arkansas
1969
Man on the moon
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. become the first men to land on the Moon
1970
Gabriel Kuri is born in Mexico
1977
The first Star Wars movie released
1991
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart opens a store in Mexico City
1997
First Harry Potter book published
2003
Untitled (superama) is made


 

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