Folding Monument (The Obelisk, Independence Square, Guatemala City), 2022.
Upcycled cotton canvas, thread, cotton webbing, photograph, shelf.
Installation views, Nada Concreto, solo exhibition, Proyectos Ultravioleta, Guatemala City.
Photos: Margo Porres
Folding monument (The Obelisk, Independence Square, Guatemala City), 2022, is a scale replica of a monument which commemorates the independence of Central America. It was built in 1935 under the dictatorship of Jorge Ubico and designed by Rafael Pérez De León. The structure (stone), which measures 18 meters high and weighs 221 tons, is located in a large rotonda named “Plaza del Obelisco”, where Avenida Reforma, Boulevard Los Próceres, Avenida Las Américas y Boulevard Liberación converge. The Palacio de la Reforma was originally located here until it was destroyed by earthquakes in 1917 and 1918. In 1950, during Juan José Arévalo’s presidency, a column with a “freedom” flame was added to the monument.
Installation views, Nada concreto (Nothing Concrete), solo exhibition, Proyectos Ultravioleta, Guatemala City.
Photo: José Oquendo