El Museo Del Barrio

       Dear Jose Camacho, I went to El Museo Del Barrio and was drawn to your piece done in 2013, "The obvious truth of an idea, measured by the displeasure it causes me." What a mouthful that title is. What made you call your artwork this long title? I have tried to interpret the title the best I can and the   assumption I make is that obviously this is a cardboard box, but where it comes from and what    has occurred to the box itself, and to you, causes      you discomfort. However, I am not positive, so I would love to know your perspective.

      I've noticed that this cardboard box is not only opened up to be flat, but it is also damaged by water probably. This box might have been pretty old when you chose to use it as art. It is clearly torn in a few areas, dirty, and stained by water or maybe oil. What was this box used for? I could imagine it could be for clothing or household items when someone had to move. Maybe it was used for something less  practical than what I am used to seeing a box used    for. Why is it so damaged though? Were people on  the streets with these boxes? Homeless maybe?

      These were all the thoughts that came to mind when I first observed this artwork. Then I realized, there is something written all the way to the left of this cardboard. Upside down (turned right-side up by myself in this letter), I read the word "ARTEFACTOS," a spanish word that means artifacts. The dictionary meaning for this word is "an object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest." So what was actually in this box?, I asked myself again. Maybe those who moved here kept what was most important to them inside this box and it moved around within generations, households, or museums. Others never usually stop to think how hard it must be to get old artifacts from different cultures into one place. Maybe the damage on this box shows the struggle to get all the artifacts to where they belong. If there were artifacts in this box though, where are they now? Or are they gone? Is that why you get "displeasure" from this "obvious truth" ?
                                                                           
                                                                                       Sincerely, Karyn Zarzuela