Draft:The Grotto. An Opera in Two Acts

The Grotto
Chamber Opera by Clotilde Jiménez
Translation	"La Gruta"
Language	Spanish/Nahuatl
Based on	story written by Clotilde Jiménez
Premiere	October 28, 2024 Museo Jumex, Mexico City

The Grotto. An Opera in Two Acts is an experimental chamber opera in two acts and nine scenes, created by artist Clotilde Jiménez. Composed by Javier Antonio Bellato, the opera features a Spanish/Nahuatl-language libretto also written by Jiménez. Commissioned by Museo Jumex in Mexico City, it premiered on October 28, 2024, as part of the self-titled exhibition "The Grotto: An Opera in Two Acts." The opera runs for approximately 55 minutes and is scored for three voices (soprano, baritone, and children’s choir) accompanied by a string quartet. Notably, this is Jiménez’s first opera.

Background

The Grotto is an original opera by Clotilde Jiménez, intertwining themes of magic, identity, and the impact of colonialism. Inspired by real events from the childhood of Jiménez’s wife, the work is informed by his unique perspective, allowing for personal interpretation. The opera highlights the tension between Catholicism and Nahua traditions, emphasizing the impact of colonialism and contemporary issues such as border relations between Mexico and the United States.

According to Clotilde Jiménez, The Grotto is one of the attempts to decolonize the artistic narratives. In one of his interviews, he said that his work is to ‘’dislodge the European white lens’’ dominating cultural production in the West for centuries. Jimenez states that “mesofuturism” is a better way to interpret the future in a truly Mesoamerican context of the future for Mexico and Latin America in general. . In this sense, the aim of this approach is to subvert stereotypes, integrate outcast voices, and offer an alternative to colonial forms of art that have explanatory power within their culture​.

Collaborating with Mexican composer Bellato, Jiménez blends traditional theater with video and dance that challenges operatic conventions, but also invites deep reflection on collective identity and the role of art today.

Mesofuturism

The term "mesofuturism" originated from Clotilde Jiménez’s exploration of reclaiming cultural identity through Mesoamerican perspectives. Inspired by the ideas of Afrofuturism, and being of Afro-Latin descent, Jiménez utilizes these concepts to counter Eurocentric storytelling and whitening, drawing inspiration from indigenous traditions and historical narratives.

He describes it as envisioning a future shaped by Mesoamerican values and rejecting colonial paradigms that have long marginalized native cultural expressions, as well as mestizaje and Afro-Latin communities. This lens serves as both an artistic and sociocultural critique, encouraging a reimagining of history and modernity through local, non-colonial perspectives.

Roles

First edition cast:

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast
Leopoldo	Children's choir / Speaking role	Coral Ensamble Mexico / Tonatiuh García Bravo
Chaneque	Children's choir / Baritone	Coral Ensamble Mexico / Alexander Soto
Mother	Soprano	Cecilia Enguiarte
Elder	Baritone	Alexander Soto
Chalchicuitlcue	Soprano	Cecilia Enguiarte

Role	Dancers
Chaneque 1	Sandra Govill
Chaneque 2	Victor Rodriguez

Synopsis

The Grotto tells the story of Leopoldo, a boy from the fictional town of "La Garra", Mexico. While playing in the river, Leopoldo encounters chaneques, child-like spirits from Nahua mythology, and follows them into a cave. Time stands still for him, and he returns to his village years later as a child, while his friends and family have aged. After his supernatural experience is revealed, Leopoldo is exiled and sent to the United States, where his journey takes unexpected turns.

Performance history

The world premiere took place at Museo Jumex on October 28, 2024. The production included choreography by Carla Segovia and live performances by dancers Sandra Govill and Victor Rodriguez as the chaneques. "The music, performed by cellist Adriana Castro, evokes the spiritual tension of the narrative". Costumes were designed by Alondra Aceves and Cecilia Andalon.

Reception

The Grotto has been liked for its new mix of story, sound, and art, making a deep feeling. Time Out México says the opera “tells a simple yet heartbreaking story, with live music and a fascinating installation that uses cinematic techniques innovatively.” They pointed out how special it is to show such a work in a place for art, stressing its mix of different fields.

La Tempes͏tad praised the opera for its look at the strain between realness and magic, and its skill to question set ideas of reality itself. The use of a “mesofuturism” idea was said to give "a lens to understand, envision, and reclaim a future through a unique perspective," placing the work as important in today’s art industry​.

Noir Magazine emphasized the emotional impact of the story, which places the experience of uprooted and peripheral people at the center of a decolonial reading. It applauded that balance achieved between tradition and modernity in the storyline and also, more specifically, in the fusion of live electronic music with mythical elements of Mexican folklore.

While widely celebrated, some critiques (most notable among these being issues of cultural appropriation, as a use of traditional operatic forms which emanate from a genre with deep ties to European narratives) did little to no staining of the great reception this work got, a landmark opera both for its innovativeness and depth, placed firmly within the experimental repository of contemporary art.

Credits

Role	Artist
Autor, librettist and director	Clotilde Jiménez
Composer and sound designer	Javier Antonio Bellato
Choreographer	Carla Segovia
Cinematographic director	Pablo Cruz Villalba
Cellist	Adriana Castro
Violinists and Violist	Gerardo Pérez Vargas, Martha Vázquez, Omar Acevedo

External links

• Fundación Jumex
• Official website of Clotilde Jiménez