ATALANTE / RÍE Y GOZA , woodcut, Irving Herrera 2009

A masked riot of joy and defiance — the final print in Herrera’s radical feminist suite.

Extended Description

In RÍE Y GOZA, Irving Herrera closes his series with an explosion of teeth, ink, and affirmation. A woman with a mane of curls and a mask resembling a Día de Muertos calavera bares her chest while pulling her dress low, revealing the cut-out letters of the titular phrase: RÍE Y GOZA — a declaration of bodily autonomy, pleasure, and power.

The laughter here is not light-hearted — it is wild, knowing, and insurgent. The orange floral backdrop vibrates behind her like fire or fiesta, pushing against the dark plane that splits the composition in half. The figure, rendered with Herrera’s now-signature density of carved lines, feels both earthy and mythic — the embodiment of survival through joy.

With this print, Herrera returns us to the body not as battlefield, but as theater, archive, and celebration. Like the other five works in the series, it is printed in a limited edition of 10 on cotton paper, signed and embossed by the artist in Oaxaca in 2009.

Technical Sheet

• Object: Woodcut print (framed)
• Title: RÍE Y GOZA
• Artist: Irving Herrera
• Date: 2009
• Technique / Printing Method: Woodcut with screen-printed background
• Medium / Materials: Black and orange ink on cotton paper
• Edition:  5/10 
• Signed: Yes 
• Framing: NO
• Dimensions: 112 × 76 cm (sheet)
• Condition: Excellent
• Provenance: Direct from artist’s studio, Oaxaca