¡±Cozticteocuilatl is the Aztec term for gold and it literally translates into ¡®the yellow feces of the gods,¡¯ ¡± says Swiss artist Otto Kunzli, who is standing before his work at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. ¡°It¡¯s the yellow poops of the gods,¡± he emphasizes as he breaks into a broad smile.
Now laughing, he continues: ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful. They found gold nuggets in the river and thought, oh this must come from the gods. The gods were pooping yellow s¡ª-. That¡¯s crazy. I mean, I know s¡ª- happens, but I didn¡¯t know that it fell from heaven.¡±
¡°Otto Kunzli: The Exhibition¡± brings together close to 200 works that span Kunzli¡¯s 25+ year career as a jewelry artist. The gold and oxidized-silver pendants of his ¡°Cozticteocuitlatl¡± (1998) take their forms from extensive research into the shape of Mickey Mouse, which Kunzli says he began because he felt sure the silhouette existed ¡°long before the Disney thing.¡± The pendants include shapes inspired by pre-Columbian jewelry, a modern wing nut, even the McDonald¡¯s golden arches.
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