The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals is Chagoya’s fifth codex done at Shark’s. It is illustrated with comic book characters, religious iconography and imagery, appropriated engravings, ethnic stereotypes, Mayan symbols and figures, automobiles, airplanes, book excerpts and elements of US currency. With images that have been altered, combined and juxtaposed, Chagoya creates pages where cultural and religious icons are presented with humor and placed in contradictory, unexpected and sometimes controversial contexts.
This print combines woodcut and color lithography on handmade Ivory Amate paper. It has been printed in thirteen colors from one woodblock and seven aluminum plates in an edition of thirty, plus proofs, by Master printer Bud Shark, assisted by Evan Colbert.
The codex is presented as an accordion folded book. When closed it measures 7½ x 7½” and opens to a frieze 90″ long.