“It is the story of migration and diaspora, which creates cultures over time.”

Gustavo Aceves

 There is a new equine art exhibit called “Lapidarium” that is traveling to major cities in Europe and Mexico. The Mexican artist, Gustavo Aceves, made these thought provoking equines over a six year period that show a new light on one of the most important controversial issues in human history: migration.

Aceves has created his own visual language that has been layered with cultural references and symbolism, including  the boat of Charon from Hades’ Underworld and the Trojan horse from Greek mythology, to convey the movement of people that began in the beginning of our history. The works were created in Italy’s renowned marble and bronze foundries in Pietrasanta as well as studios in Florence and Bologna.

To emphasize the tragedy migration is historically associated with, distinctive cracks, fractured forms and parts of the horse’s skeleton are shown in these sculptures. But, the sculptures do not just show the true pain and suffering. They also show life, hope and strength,  signified by a horse’s heart visible within the works of art.

“The beauty itself is a truth, that humans invent by themselves. It creates a more pleasant reality than the one we can see.”

Gustavo Aceves

~Gustavo Aceves~

Site: http://gustavo-aceves.com

Here is a bit about Gustavo Aceves from his site:

 Gustavo Aceves (b. 1957, Mexico City) currently lives and works in Pietrasanta, Italy. Aceves is self-taught artist who quickly built up a reputation as an influential painter working in Latin America. His paintings and works on paper focussing on the human figure draw upon Western pictorial traditions whilst using the large-scales common in Mexican murals. Lapidarium is the artist’s first sculpture project. Aceves’ work has been exhibited around the world since the late 1970s including in the Museo del Palacio Bellas Artes in Mexico City, the Venice Biennale and the Beijing Biennale. His work can be found in the permanent collections of Museo Memoria y Tolerancia, Mexico City and the Vatican Museum, Rome.

Hope you all enjoyed seeing this unique art exhibit! Thank you to Gustavo Aceves and his representative Jose Botaya for answering my questions and supplying the photos.

Shya

Huh? What? Well, I will believe that when I see flying Shetlands ! 

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