Margarita Azurdia (b. 1931 in Antigua; d. 1998 in Guatemala City) was a cross-disciplinary artist and poet as well as the founder of the experimental performance group, Laboratorio de Creatividad (1982–85). She made marble sculptures that invited audience participation for the 3rd Bienal de Arte Coltejer in Medellín (1972), painted geometric abstract canvases that augmented vernacular textile patterns, wrote poetry, and created performances that, according to critic and curator Rozina Cazali, “explored the body’s expressive potential and were based on non-traditional practices and improvisation technique.”
The Coming of the Goddess and La Libertad (both 1970-74) are related to a larger body of sculptures called Homenaje a Guatemala (Tribute to Guatemala). Made by local artisans after drawings and instructions by Azurdia, these works are early examples of contemporary artists working with fabricators to create new works. The Homenaje a Guatemala series was shown only once, in an open field in 1974, during a tumultuous period in the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–96).
Margarita Azurdia also went by multiple pseudonyms, including Margot Fanjul, Margarita Rita Rica Dinamita, and Anastasia Margarita.
