The Pieces

Is BIG BIG enough and why size does matter?

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Philip Van Cauteren, the director of the Ghent Museum once said: “Contemporary artists have to fight for space in an increasingly noisy environment, where they compete with omnipresent media and advertising images, and the impact of vast cities and skyscrapers.” To get a hearing in a society overwhelmed by information and visual stimuli, artists seek to produce images that create a strong impression. The huge scale takes the fanciful alebrijes to an even more magical level. The ultimate goal of those spectacular pieces is to give the public pause for thought and to experience an installation that creates a strong and immediate effect, bringing energy and life to communities and individuals who have felt their lives constrained by the virus. The bright colored animal figures speak to people of all ages. The 20 feet high sculptures are reproductions of original carved wooden works by recognized local artists from various communities.

In spite of their huge dimension a more human size approach will also be offered as the background and meaning of these impressive works will be explained through text (labels) and QR codes to offer additional information to make it interactive on any smart phone (video interviews with the artists, links, etc… ) We notice this essential experience was missing in our France exhibit: Relaying the pieces with the artists, their environment, their original works.