'Cuauhtémoczin' - inside the process
October 28th – November 11th, 2023
Diego Florez-Arroyo
with Jesse Lee Pacheco, Charlie Apple, Anthony Maes, and Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Closing Reception:
November 10th from 5-8pm
“A fresh take on a typical prison drama, the multimedia production follows the life of Dante as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery in the face of his caged reality. The narrative dances between reality and Mexican mythology, connecting Dante to Cuauhtémoc, the last emperor of the Aztecs and calls attention to the trials and tribulations that human relationships suffer from imprisonment.”
This exhibition includes props, documentation of the process, digital animations, and paintings made by the artist throughout the process of Cuauhtémoczin, a new play by Diego Florez-Arroyo.
Cuauhtémoczin, a Mythological impressionist work that explores liberation in the setting of prison, recently premiered and was co-presented by MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater. This was the first original theatrical production by Diego Florez-Arroyo, a multi-disciplinary artist – poet, visual artist, musician – and a newcomer to the theater community. He came to playwriting through the expansion of an epic poem, now turned into a full-length multi-media theater performance with the help of Control Group Productions. To create Cuauhtémoczin, Florez-Arroyo has gathered an ensemble of emerging theatre voices unified by their love and dedication to many disciplines. Veteran director and award-winning actor Phil Luna, brought the core vision to life alongside a brilliant and vibrant cast of published authors, internationally presented musicians, professors, veteran producers, and a crew of multi-hyphenate artists. The show debuted on October 6th, 2023 and was followed by three more performances on October 7th, 13th, and 14th.
This work is inspired by capturing the process of storytelling, a combination of new and old stories that were created to encourage conversation around communal ancestral healing, and acknowledge and honor history: past, present, and future. Cuauhtémoczin has been a cathartic expression through multimedia collaboration to bring a unique vision to life. Artists involved include: Jesse Lee Pacheco, Charlie Apple, Anthony Maes, and Kevin Beaty
Being surrounded by people that have served time in jail and prison, forced to understand the humanity in their struggle. Watching friends and family fail in ‘civilian’ life circumstances while cheering others as they triumphantly emerge from their darkest depths.
About the Artists:
Diego Florez-Arroyo
Working as a full time poet, artist, and musician over the last 7 years, I have worked on and produced a variety of projects. From large scale prefabricated installations to multimedia thatrical productions. As a multi-instrumentalist, writing, composing, and arranging music are tools I have become very comfortable with: aside from writing and composing my own music, I am a founding member of the Denver band, Los Mocochetes, Art Compost and Word Mechanics, Soul Jazz Rock Trio called, “The Cosmosmiths”. The work I make is storytelling, created to encourage conversation around ancestral healing, and acknowledging history: past, present, and future.
Jesse Lee Pacheco
a interdisciplinary artist, and writer from Denver, CO. He’s one half of the visual/performance art collective RATTLESNAKER. Recent credits include Santi in Palomita (RuddyDuck Theatre Co.) and the film Quantam Cowboys (2022)
Charlie Apple
a music producer, visual artist and creative technologist. He earned his MFA from the University of Montana in Media arts and specializes in interactive media, performance and emerging technology.
Anthony Maes
A native of Denver, Anthony Maes is a Chicano Visual Artist. Well known, for his Editorial & Documentary Photography. Anthony’s eye has allowed him to beautifully story tell with his work as well as encapsulate a very intimate view & cultural identity of his subject. Anthony’s work has gone on to create a diverse portfolio of art works ranging from Photojournalism, Concert & Fashion Photography to Portraiture. Additionally Anthony is a cofounder of the Denver Photo Swap and a member of the Photography Collective Theyshootn.
Kevin Beaty
a photojournalist with Denverite and CPR News, where he pursues human stories and images that sing.