In the second part of our interview with Pequeña Muerte we understand the genesis of the project. We delve into eroticism and the constant “contradiction” and “flux” with morality.

We discussed this antagonist dichotomy with the talented Filipino artist Darling Kink a few years back. Like all teenagers she  wanted to ‘find herself.’ Her passion for erotica challenged by her Catholicism and her moral compass.

In approaching eroticism in the context of moralitt, Pequeña Muerte sees erotica as a ‘resistance movement’–

“a way to reclaim the body as one’s own territory, to demystify guilt, and to rethink sensuality from a place of autonomy.”

In part two we go all guns blazing into the resistance movement!

Pequeña Muerte was born as an attempt to reclaim that lost territory: a space that seeks to revalue, honor, liberate, and explore—through an intimate and collective lens

Discuss the genesis of Pequeña Muerte?

Pequeña Muerte plays with the French expression la petite mort, which refers to orgasm as a symbolic moment of death. But it also speaks of fragility, loss, and the body as an ephemeral space. The idea and the title shaped each other. The concept of the “little death” expands beyond ecstasy, into memory, erosion, and transformation.

The project began as an individual personal exploration. It arrived at different times for each of us, but at some point, within our friendship, it began to surface. We started sharing erotica, taking photos, exchanging references, and recognizing common ground. There was no clear starting point or defined structure. From the very beginning, it was a free pursuit, guided by intuition and desire.

There is no definite end because we start from the idea that both eroticism and death are cyclical forces. They are in constant transformation. It’s a living investigation that adapts and grows with us, with our questions, and with our transformations.

Pequeña Muerte is not a static project. It is ambitious, yes, but it is expansive. We’ve come to understand that its ultimate goal is not the production of tangible outcomes, but exploration itself — continuous movement and experimentation that sometimes produces, and other times simply transforms. We want to open dialogues, create physical and virtual spaces for exhibitions, for conversation, for encounters with other countries and other identities. Curiosity and exploration are inexhaustible, just like the diverse perspectives and ways of experiencing sexuality and eroticism.

Erotic exploration is a passion that has always been present. We have spent years collecting images, texts, books, works, artists that dialogue with that same impulse. It’s a platform where all that material — until then scattered across iPhone notes and desktop folders — could live.

Eroticism in Mexico is still essentially taboo?

For sure! Even in 2025, erotic works are still censored in museums and galleries, and there are very few spaces for the dissemination, exploration, and exhibition of erotic art grounded in diversity. We reflected on the lack of spaces that truly welcome this kind of content.

Pequeña Muerte is not a static project. It is ambitious, yes, but it is expansive. We’ve come to understand that its ultimate goal is not the production of tangible outcomes, but exploration itself

Organically, the platform transformed into a living archive: a space that brings together projects and people exploring eroticism through various languages and mediums — a space that encourages ongoing dialogue between perspectives, disciplines, and ways of seeing.

A provocative outfit or a naked body no longer carries the same social weight as before…..And while this might be read as freedom, it also raises questions about what we may have lost along the way in terms of intimacy, desire and more

Discuss the antagonistic relationship of eroticism and Catholicism in Mexico?

In Mexico, eroticism exists in constant contradiction. The influence of Catholicism has shaped a discourse of guilt and morality around the body and desire, while at the same time, popular culture is saturated with hyper sexualization and double standards.

This dichotomy led us to approach eroticism as a form of resistance: a way to reclaim the body as one’s own territory, to demystify guilt, and to rethink sensuality from a place of autonomy.

However, in 2025, the weight of Catholicism in our country is diluted among other equally influential factors: machismo and patriarchy, the cultural shadow of the United States and its individualist moral code, heteronormativity, and the deep socioeconomic gap.

Eroticism, rather than being embraced, seems lost in everyday life: on the one hand, hypersexualization; on the other, repression. Taboos persist, preventing us from socializing through sensuality, and we continue to be a reserved society, shaped by values of discretion and submission: “los trapitos sucios se lavan en casa” “en la mesa no se habla de religión, política ni fútbol.”

However, in 2025, the weight of Catholicism in our country is diluted among other equally influential factors: machismo and patriarchy, the cultural shadow of the United States and its individualist moral code, heteronormativity, and the deep socioeconomic gap.

Unlike other Latin American cultures, Mexico is not experienced as a body-oriented society, sexy is not part of our culture. Flirting is fading because we have not learned to live it without reproducing patriarchal structures. We swing between “sluttiness” and marriage, constantly wondering: where is that space in between?

Pequeña Muerte was born as an attempt to reclaim that lost territory: a space that seeks to revalue, honor, liberate, and explore—through an intimate and collective lens—the acceptance of sensuality as a dimension that deeply shapes our existence and our relationships with others and with ourselves.

We focused on a young artist called Darlingkink in Philippines where Catholicism is the predominant religion-she found the suppression fuelled her desire for her erotic art- how do Mexican youth see erotica?

It depends on the context, but in general, Mexican youth are in a process of rediscovering erotica. There is a generation that understands it as a tool for self-affirmation and exploration, moving away from religious taboos. However, there is still an inherited cultural resistance that imposes moralistic narratives. This friction creates an interesting dialogue, where erotica becomes a language of transgression.

Today, many young people experience their relationship with the body from a much kinder, freer, and more empowered place. But without a doubt, the validation imposed by social media around erotica is also very present. As we mentioned earlier, there is a hypersexualization and commercialization of bodies—not talking about sex work, but rather about social media, fashion, and the corporatization of capitalism.

We would even dare to say that Generation Z has significantly decreased its interest in sexuality.

Contextualise, is there a lack of interest in ‘sexuality’ with Gen Z?

It is no longer a taboo topic. It no longer sparks the same curiosity or need for exploration, because everything seems available, open, and “normalized.” Desire now exists in a much more transparent and honest space. But in that constant availability, mystery is lost, intimacy is lost… fantasy is lost.

A provocative outfit or a naked body no longer carries the same social weight as before. Everything is right there—visible, immediate. And while this might be read as freedom, it also raises questions about what we may have lost along the way in terms of intimacy, desire and more.