La Cámara Se Oculta (The Camera Hides), 2022

A reflection on memories, vulnerability, and art. Aluminum wire, duct tape, table cloth, paper clips, photograph prints, photograph negatives, plastic film roll containers, 35mm film roll, cds, 35mm camera, lightbulb, mobile, twist-ties, putty.

A ghoulish depiction of the elusive creature we collectively refer to as “memory”. As time goes by, memories fade away, but photographs never forget. Therefore, prints surround the creature and even sprout from its appendages. In this manner, they emulate the shell of the creature and at the same time become a tool for planting itself on physical space. The photographs are concrete.

The photographs themselves consist of surreal and meaningful moments that connect the artist to people and places from his life. Depicted on the creature’s body are three generations of men from the artist’s family. A tribute to the life they have lived and the life they’ve yet to live. Behind the photographs a light shines through, reminding us of the miraculous process that captured these personal moments and allowed the artist to put them on display. The artist’s life is laid out on parade for everyone to glimpse.

The creature was created from scratch utilizing unlikely items for construction. The process reminded the artist of those childhood moments when he used any object he could find to construct peculiar structures by following an instinctive kind of blueprint. The creature appears to be fragile, vulnerable, uneasy, and unapproachable from a distance.

On the side of a creature, a mouth-like opening allows the viewer to peek inside. The innards resemble the sprawl of a city. An ecosystem comprised of film negatives and cds, both which contain a depiction of the photographs on display. Hanging above, a lightbulb that provides the warmth of light, and a mobile that holds a winged structure above the camera which was used to take these photographs. The real beauty hides within.

The sculpture has been on display at the Front Gallery: Arte y Cultura, and at the Bonita Museum. Thank you to everyone who came and saw it in person!