My Vintage Journeys: "OUR SILENCES"---MEXICAN ARTIST RIVELINO

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

"OUR SILENCES"---MEXICAN ARTIST RIVELINO

OUR SILENCES

As I was rushing to the Fifth Avenue Pier to catch a ferry to Coronado, I noticed, for the first time, massive bronze sculptures along the walkway. They were especially striking with light shimmering on them. I decided to return soon to see what they were all about.

I then discovered that this display of giant men has been traveling around the world and was unveiled on January 29, 2015. San Diego is the first U.S. City to exhibit Our Silences, by the Mexican artist Rivelino, and it will only be here until March 15. Previously, the sculptures toured Mexico City and other major cities in Europe, including London, Paris, and Madrid.

TUNA HARBOR

I returned a few day later, on a perfect 65 degree San Diego day, to enjoy the art at my leisure. From the Broadway Pier, I walked south toward Seaport Village, enjoying a view of the USS Midway and Tuna Harbor along the way. The abstract human figures are situated in Ruocco Park, just before Seaport Village, with the city on one side and San Diego Bay on the other. Park benches offer a perfect resting point to appreciate the art in this beautiful setting.

The display consists of ten bronze sculptures 11½ feet tall, weighing about one ton each. All with the same cream color and brown trim. They have slits for eyes, bald heads, big pointed noses, and long thin ears. Each mouth is covered with a metal plate, representing the artist's belief in the importance of freedom of expression. They are placed in a long line with each one at a 45 degree angle to the bay, one group of five is looking toward the Midway and the other five is looking south. (The configuration of where they are placed varies with the location, for example, in London they were placed in a circle.) There is also a separate large, black, touch-box for use by people with visual disability.

Rivelino, whose full name is Jose Rivelino Moreno Valle, was born in Jalisco, Mexico in 1973. He is one of Mexicos' most famous sculptors and works out of his studio in Mexico City.

He explained in Spanish at the unveiling, “From here, that silence moves from one city to another, one country to another, and one continent to another. It's important to share what we think and feel.”

In every city where it is presented, the work of art acquires a different meaning by establishing relationships with the local architecture, culture, society and history.