Message to Salinas from Elaine Byrne on Vimeo.
The work Message to Salinas was made during SOMA Summer in Mexico City 2010. Motivated by the questions regarding the visibility and presence of ex-president Carlos Salinas in the social and political life in Dublin, I began researching what quickly emerged as a highly contentious issue in Mexico. Carlos Salinas de Gortari, elected under dubious circumstances, was president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. His memory and the effects of his time as president are very much present to this day, indeed are etched into the collective consciousness of the Mexican people.
Salinas left the country, allegedly fearing he might be charged with the murder of his chosen successor, arriving in Ireland in the Spring of 1996, he took up residence in Dublin.
I invited Mexicans, via facebook, to send a message to Salinas in Dublin either by video or email. These messages were made and delivered in good faith, unmediated, retaining and preserving the charged and genuine expression, bewilderment, anger, admiration, regret, with which they were originally imbued.
The book which contains all the e-mail responses was selected for the Berlin Reading Room 2011 and the video was shown as part of Artprojx, New York, March 2011
