Fleas & Parasites - Origin
The Mexican tradition of dressing fleas as tiny recreations of human beings dates back to the 19th century.
It was born among the nuns in the convents as a way to combat boredom by teaching fleas to do circus acts. Once the fleas died, they would dissect them and put them in little boxes. Soon the tradition became very common among artisans.
Markets used to offer these fleas dressed in Spanish costumes, such as bride and groom at their wedding and peasant attire, as souvenirs. Tourists took them home as an amazing souvenir. To prepare them after being collected, the fleas are bathed in alcohol and then a polish is applied to make them more rigid.
Dressed fleas are one of the most fascinating treasures of Mexican popular culture, a custom that impresses the world, making it clear that the magic of Mexico has no end.
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In 1985, Jean-Michel Basquiat, the most famous and sought-after neo-expressionist artist of all time, was asked during an interview in his NY apartment to explain a series of drawings he had made on the wall, to which he replied, “believe me, it’s a flea, parasites, and leeches #46 and #47 out of a list of thousands of leeches on this planet and the difference between a flea, a parasite, and a leech is almost none.”
Jean-Michel Basquiat lit the spark in me that gave life to this series of works, created as my purest and most faithful interpretation of the world.
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Fleas & Parasites
By Victor Corleone