{"id":417803,"date":"2024-05-17T13:49:17","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T17:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=417803"},"modified":"2024-05-19T11:13:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-19T15:13:48","slug":"alejandro-vega-beuvrin-barricada-2-outdoor-sculpture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/alejandro-vega-beuvrin-barricada-2-outdoor-sculpture\/","title":{"rendered":"This Weathered-Steel Sculpture Distills a Form of Protest into a Minimalist Monument"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Venezuelan<\/a>
Barricada 2 L<\/em>, new, by Alejandro Vega Beuvrin<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

An artist\u2019s inspiration can come from astonishing sources. In 2014, just as Venezuelan architect Alejandro Vega Beuvrin<\/a>, then in his 30s, was beginning to pivot from designing buildings to creating sculptures<\/a>, he received a commission from the same oppressive Venezuelan government<\/a> he, his friends and many other average citizens had spent the past decade protesting in the streets of Caracas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most successful means of slowing down the vicious crackdowns by the police and soldiers was blocking the roads with garbage, old furniture, bicycles and any other impediments that might be available. The obstruction could be \u201ca ragtag arrangement of wood or even cardboard shields held at varying angles\u201d by demonstrators, says Beuvrin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the protests became so frequent that eventually the people ran out of garbage,\u201d the artist recalls. \u201cI started thinking that it would be good to have a more durable structure on hand in the streets that could quickly be assembled to stall the advancing forces.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Venezuelan<\/a>
The sculpture, which is limited to an edition of five plus three artist’s proofs, is available in a variety of finishes, including weathering steel. The material develops a patina over time, giving each piece its own unique texture and color variations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The idea of improving upon the makeshift barricades, known as guarimbas<\/em>, informed his concept for the commission. \u201cThese precarious structures, symbols of resistance and protest, were emblazoned in my mind,\u201d Beuvrin says. So, he \u201cquietly and somewhat subversively\u201d gave the government a trio of monuments representing its rejection by its own people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those works became the basis for his aptly named \u201cBarricada\u201d series of steel sculptures, objects of great beauty and simplicity forged from the hard realities of a long-suffering population. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One striking piece from the series, Barricada 2 L<\/a><\/em>, is more than seven feet high and 13 feet long. Despite the improvised nature of the assemblages that inspired it, the sculpture\u2019s swooping, interlocking curves are precisely rendered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beuvrin, who now resides in Barcelona, Spain, launched his career as an architect in Caracas just as the miraculous capabilities of new drawing software began allowing architects to view their designs in three dimensions on the computer. The technology remains central to his practice, although there are drawbacks. \u201cYou can get a sense of the 3D visual impact of an object, but images on a screen have no mass or presence,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, it\u2019s no substitute for the experience of encountering and engaging with an actual sculpture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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