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WELCOME
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The figure of a duck can carry various meanings, such as adaptability, ingenuity, and navigation, as it thrives in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. I also relate it to freedom and freedom of spirit. In certain contexts, ducks represent fertility, abundance, and family due to their social behavior and the care they provide to their offspring. Additionally, ducks can symbolize migration and transformation, in line with broader themes of movement and change.
The wooden duck figure, found in a carpentry shop in Maracaibo, became a symbol of the Venezuelan diaspora after the violent events of 2014. Its image, cut from the blue quilt in my house, paid homage to the students that year.
Later, many years after, as part of the diaspora, socially engaged art transformed those soft blue ducks into symbols of healing, connection, and resilience, creating a mending project that demonstrates the transformative power of art.
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I welcome you here and will keep you updated on the progress of this project...
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Bienvenidos
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La figura de un pato puede tener varios significados, como la adaptabilidad, el ingenio y la navegación, ya que se desenvuelve tanto en entornos terrestres como acuáticos. También lo relaciono con la libertad y la libertad de espíritu. En ciertos contextos, los patos representan la fertilidad, la abundancia y la familia debido a su comportamiento social y a los cuidados que brindan a sus crías. Además, los patos pueden simbolizar la migración y la transformación, en consonancia con temas más amplios de movimiento y cambio.
La figura del pato de madera, encontrada en una carpintería de Maracaibo, se convirtió en un símbolo de la diáspora venezolana tras los graves acontecimientos violentos de 2014. Su imagen, recortada de la colcha azul de mi casa, rindió homenaje a los estudiantes en ese año.
Luego, muchos años después, como parte de la diáspora, el arte socialmente comprometido ha transformado aquellos suaves patos azules en símbolos de curación, conexión y resiliencia, creando un proyecto de reparación que demuestra el poder transformador del arte.
Por aquí les doy la bienvenida y les iré contando cómo avanza este proyecto...
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Background /antecedentes
Arqueología Lúdica: 100 días
The work in reference is “Arqueología Lúdica II: 100 días”. They were presented at the Exhibition, “More than Incidents: Always Experimental,” at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Zulia (Maczul) in 2014. This was a tribute to the students due to the situation experienced at the beginning of 2014 in Venezuela and the phenomenon of their emigration to other countries. The wooden figures used in the installation were found in a wood workshop; they symbolize a productive stage of Venezuela in the 70s. The selected figure, a wooden duckling silhouette, was cut out until it disappeared in a blue quilt of the family. The cut-out pieces were placed on the wall over the silhouette of the map of Venezuela.
On the wall, a text accompanied the installation:
"...we can no longer take care of them, and we cannot protect them; they have decided to follow the path of freedom."
E. Zavarce, 2014.
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