Quemada – Show at Panza Verde

Fuego Volcano, always looking down on us, always watching us, is a constant reminder of the transient and ever changing nature of life. Fuego takes on many moods, sometimes silent, sometimes burning bright and beautiful, and other times turning violent and angry. We live at the foot of this true force of nature yet still think our lives are somehow bigger and more important than they actually are.

The concept of burning is central to Buddhist practice, and with Fuego, central to humans coexisting with nature (we are nature). In meditation we are taught to burn all delusions and the false realities we have been conditioned to accept throughout our lives, and to realize a larger truth as to how the universe is functioning. With Fuego, we are always reminded of the extreme fragility of our human existence and the fact that nature can just as easily provide us with life as it can quickly take it away. After this last tragedy when so many lives were lost or scattered to the wind, we are profoundly reminded of the true power nature has over our lives.

For these reasons the main theme of this show is “Quemada” and it is dedicated to all who deeply suffered the fate of the eruptions. But apart from the central theme of the show, I also felt it important to share my feelings as an expat artist living life in a culture foreign to mine where so many things are new and have such great influence over my current body of work. The pieces made from pita plastica, pita maguey, the bronze masa sculpture and the volcanic ash pieces are all influenced by daily life in Guatemala.

This show is a deep bow of gratitude to the people, life and culture of Guatemala. And it is also a profound thanks to the contemplative teachings I have been fortunate to receive and practice so I may better understand the nature of existence and our place in this universe.