Vandalismo Artesanal, a solo exhibition of sculptor Carlos Castro Arias, stages a confrontation between two craft traditions: bronze—a technique historically used to memorialize, monumentalize, and construct national narratives—and the weaving and beading crafts of communities across Colombia. Here, bronze statues emerge fragmented and reconfigured: busts encircled in basketry or adorned with Inga symbols, among others.
These gestures of “vandalism” stage a moment of encounter in material form, exposing monuments to systems of making and knowing that have persisted despite colonial violence. The transformation of these sculptures—among them busts of Conquistadores—also recall recent global movements demanding the removal of statues celebrating colonial and imperial histories. Across public squares, monuments once imagined as permanent were graffitied, toppled, and, in some cases, set ablaze.
Vandalismo Artesanal proposes a reflection on how histories are constructed, contested, and continually remade. Like fire, an element marked by its capacity for transformation, the works displayed here suggest the possibility of ongoing renewal and critique.
Curated by Frida Cano, with curatorial assistance from Audrey Libatique.
Opening Reception:
Saturday, November 14
Members, 5–7 pm, free
General, 7–9 pm, $12
Hours:
Wednesday - Sunday, 11am - 5pm
Admission:
General: $9
Adults 65+ and Students: $7
12 and under: Free
Members and Craft Youth Culture participants: Free
Sunday: Pay what you wish