Mexican President opens exhibition 'Dressing Like Gods'

New Delhi, Sep 10 (UNI) President of Mexico Felipe Calderon Hinojosa today inaugurated an exhibition titled, ''Dressing Like Gods'', here this evening, showcasing 58 splendid art objects from his country's National Institute of Anthropology and History.

The exhibition at the National Museum intends to show the richness of dressing the human body, which is a continuous art form from the time immemorial.

Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni presided over the inaugural function.

The use of fabrics, feathers and ornaments has its own significance to express the ideal of beauty in Mexican Art, the origin of which is divine, as has been the case in India.

The visitors will notice a combination of realism, symbolism and the perfection in style that was in vogue in Mexican traditional societies, reflecting the hierarchical positions of the persons.

Most important has been the head, used to manifest the ideals of beauty. In fact, hairdressing witnessed the highest refinement, some with inter-weaving hair, while others with ornaments of natural fibers or half coiffure, and sometimes representing tufts, shaved heads and stylized shaved.

In Mexico, the beauty in hairdressing was so strong that it continues even today in some indigenous communities.

The art objects on display speak very high of both the masculine and feminine beauty, as some sculptures wear short skirts made with beads and shells, others wearing plumes in a variety of styles, and the feminine ones wearing intricate head-dresses leaving a magical impact of the Mexican society on the visitors.

The exhibits show a unique richness of the dressing sense and reveal the worldview of the societies in the pre-Columbian world on one hand, while on the other define the idealism of beauty at its best and the importance of the persons and their relationship with god.

The exhibition accompanies a catalogue with illustrations in full colour and is organized by the National Museum in collaboration with the National Institute of Anthropology and History, Mexico and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexico.

The exhibition will remain open till November 10.

UNI