El Salvador has the smallest geographic footprint in the region the second highest number of volcanoes in Central America. The country lies on the Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt that encircles the Pacific Ocean and is home to about two-thirds of the world’s volcanoes. Given the erupting landscape, much of the soil is rich in ash.
In a series of sculptures, Guadalupe Maravilla (rather) draws on his homeland as he sculpts backpacks and enlarged hands from volcanic rock. The works reference the artist’s migration from civil war-era El Salvador as an unaccompanied minor, a traumatic journey that remains a central theme in his practice.
Three pieces, titled Dream backpacksrefers to “how we emigrate to the US overland and carry everything we own in a backpack in search of the American Dream,” Maravilla writes in a statement. The poignant works, embellished with pink, purple and blue paint, display a variety of charms – feathers, a small cat figure and metal details such as a tap – that the artist collected while retracing his childhood path.
Other works take the form of a burly hand holding smooth shapes with pieces reminiscent of them altarpiecessmall devotional paintings that often evoke protection in times of hardship. Lightning bolts, stars and snakes return in the compositions, along with references to the artist’s diagnosis of colon cancer, which he has long linked to the trauma he suffered as a child.
December 12 is special for Maravilla and is the title of a recent work featuring linked wishbones, crystals and the nursery rhyme ‘Sana, sana, colita de rana’, which translates to ‘heal, heal, little frog tail’. As Maravilla shares on Instagram“On 12/12/12 I found out I had cancer. 12/12/13 I overcame cancer. Today I start a new chapter 12/12/24 with a special meditation.” Similarly, in “Luz y Fuerza,” a cake appears with a “0” candle, resembling a pastry the artist once used to celebrate both his birthday and what he considers his rebirth as cancer-free.
Maravilla’s sculptures refer to resilience in the midst of struggle and call for healing and regeneration. After all, volcanic ash is one of the most powerful natural fertilizers and a key factor in encouraging new growth.
Maravilla is represented by P·P·O·W gallery in New York, where you can find more of his work.
following the artist’s original migration route, 16 1/4 x 12 x 4 3/4 inches
