design magazine

Article by Tania Droggitou
Posted on January 17th, 2013
in Art & Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada

This enormous on-site installation was constructed in Amsterdam and is the work of Cuban-American urban land artist, Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. It depicts the face of an unknown Mesoamerican woman. As with most of the artist’s work, due to the vast scale, the best way to appreciate it in full is from an aerial view.

The portrait was commissioned by the feminist organization of Mama Cash as part of their campaign, Vogelvrije Women-Defend Women Who Defend Human Rights. It is in recognition of the movement of female activists and their persecution in Mesoamerican regions.

The piece carries with it a significant social aspect and the execution of the task itself was dependent on the aid of 80 volunteers who assisted the artist. The logistics and materials used for the 125m x 170m portrait include 8 kilometres of rope, tons of sand and soil, piles of straw and stacks of wooden poles!