PUPIL:
A circular dark opening in the center of the iris of the eye, which allows light to pass through and strike the retina. The “little girl of the eye.” The pupil is our window to the world, our primary point of contact with life and with other beings; this may be why we tend to identify it with human figures, as happens in Spanish when we speak of la niña del ojo (“the little girl of the eye”), or perhaps because we are accustomed to seeing our own reflection in the pupils of those who are close to us.
In Hebrew, the pupil is called eshon ayin, meaning “little man of the eye.” And closer to home, in English pupil means both “student” and “pupila,” and shares its origin with puppet. The same relationship exists in Portuguese, where the pupil is also called menina do olho.
The word comes from the Latin pupila, diminutive of pupa, which in that language means both “doll” and “little girl.” This striking metaphor also appears in Classical Greek, where koré could mean “doll,” “girl,” and “pupil” at the same time.
Contributors to this exhibition:
Anabela Cathcarth, Beto Alvarez, and Facundo Huidobro
