SELVA

at La Biennale di Venezia

“Among the works which have the tragedies of migration as their subject, this one is, through the immediacy of its plastic language, one of the most powerfully evocative of the Biennale.”

Philippe Dagen

critic for LE MONDE

I am honored to have been selected as one of the 4 artists to represent Panama in the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia

Stranieri Ovunque / Foreigners Everywhere.

This is the first time Panama has its own Pavilion.

Entitled Traces: On the Body and on the Land this exhibition arises as a profound reflection on the enduring traces that migration leaves on individuals and their surroundings.

I am presenting an installation comprising a series of glass figures, sound effects and large scale mixed media drawings based on my recent visit to the jungles of Darien. The “Darien gap” is traversed each year by more than 500,000 men, women and children from all over the world who seek to reach the United States.

“One of the delights of the event is the unexpected encounters with unforgettable Biennale exhibitions in modest offsite venues. One such treasure trove, the Panama pavilion, features Isabel De Obaldia’s installation of a recent series of small cast-glass abstracted figures suspended from the gallery ceiling that dangle in front of her immersive painted mural depicting the “Darien Gap”. This expansive jungle, which connects Panama and Colombia, was crossed in 2023 by more than 500,000 migrants and asylum seekers making their way toward the US border. De Obaldia’s work is a moving tribute to the many who lost their lives during the perilous journey through the wilderness.

De Obaldia’s installation directly corresponds to the main Biennale theme, along with a number of other works in the Arsenale.”

David Ebony

*excerpt from: Stranger Things: The 2024 Venice Biennale

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