Romeo Gómez López

Tourist Skins (Pieles Turistas)

Mexico City is massive, a galaxy. But every galaxy comes with a black hole in the middle of it, yet it is unknown what is inside one. Some scientists believe the laws of physics begin to break down at the center of it, at this point matter gets squished down so tightly that is infinitely dense, what lies inside a black hole could solve the mysteries of the universe; likewise, the famous Rosetta Stone was the key to understanding egyptian hieroglyphics, access to a culture’s whole language compressed on the surface of a rock. On the other hand, the guava roll is a mexican dessert that is now a trend in Mexico City for every hip person who visits Colonia Roma, an embodiment of economical flow in a gentrified neighborhood compressed inside the delicious pulp at the center of the dish.

A black hole or a guava roll from Rosetta bakery? Or perhaps the warm sun that attracts tourists to our city. Foreigners, gringos, celebrities, tourists, artists. There is something about the Valley of Mexico attracting so many people. Is it the kindness of the citizens? The culinary culture? Or is it the beautiful landscapes? Maybe the reason is that “Mexico is so cheap”, as that trend on social media stated.

The “whitexican” with tourist privilege, the gringo who inmigrantes and earns in dollars but lives in pesos. The privilege that only some can experience in this city is a sinister force. This installation breaks down cynically the social norms that govern Mexico City from a perspective of the entitled-criticism that lies inside all of us.