An innovative opera created by Indigenous artists will make its New Mexico premiere this month as part of a major contemporary art exhibition. 'Malinxe,' a groundbreaking work by Autumn Chacon (Diné-Navajo/Chicana) and Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache), will be performed on August 15 and 17 as part of Site Santa Fe's 12th biennial exhibition.
The seven-month exhibition, titled 'Once Within a Time,' is curated by Cecilia Alemani, who serves as director and chief curator of New York's High Line Art. Alemani also held the prestigious position of artistic director for the 59th Venice Biennale from 2020 to 2022. Her curatorial approach for this exhibition emerged from extensive research into New Mexico's rich cultural landscape.
'My first idea was to do a show around the life of one person,' Alemani told Pasatiempo. 'But as I started doing research in New Mexico, it became clear very soon that there were so many amazing people and so many amazing stories that I couldn't really choose one, so I chose 27, which is a completely random number.' While Alemani was already familiar with much of the Santa Fe visual art scene, her research led her to embrace a broader concept centered on storytelling through diverse artistic mediums.
The opera draws its inspiration from both historical and mythological figures. The historic Malinxe was a Nahua woman from Mexico's Gulf Coast who served as a translator and intermediary for Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés during his 16th-century conquest of the Aztec Empire. In Chacon and Ortman's contemporary interpretation, this historical figure intertwines with La Llorona, the Weeping Woman of Mexican folklore.
'It's fascinating to think about the dialogue between these two women, one from history, one from fiction, one who is more contemporary, and one who is historical,' Alemani explained. 'They both have many different attributes or labels attached to them, but I think of Autumn's opera as the moment when they can take the stage and tell their stories in their own ways.'
The creative team brings together diverse talents from across artistic disciplines. Albuquerque-based Chacon wrote the libretto for 'Malinxe,' while composer-instrumentalist-vocalist Ortman crafted the musical score and will perform it live. The production features journalist-musician Marisa Demarco embodying the character of Malinxe, with sculptor-painter Jeffrey Gibson, who is of Choctaw and Cherokee heritage, portraying La Llorona.
For Chacon, this production represents a significant expansion of her artistic practice. 'A lot of my early, experimental work was very DIY and done in small, indoor spaces,' she said. 'And I've added an experimental element or a fourth-dimensional element to modernize certain local plays. But this is the first time that I've been a producer and director for something this large and outdoors.'
The outdoor venue for the performances has yet to be announced to ticket holders, a situation that reflects broader challenges facing public land access. Chacon expressed concerns about the difficulties in securing performance locations. 'There's been a lot of difficulty getting the use of the land. I don't want to sound too suspicious,' she noted. 'But the federal administration has gone through so many changes, I don't know what the future of access to public land is going to look like. And I think I may be experiencing firsthand how quickly those resources are being taken away from the public.'
The performances will take place at 8 p.m. on both August 15 and 17, with specific location details provided to ticket buyers. More information and tickets are available through Site Santa Fe's website at sitesantafe.org. The opera represents a significant addition to New Mexico's cultural calendar and demonstrates the ongoing vitality of Indigenous artistic expression in contemporary contexts.
