Mini Relámpagos, 2024

Artspace and Ballroom Marfa are pleased to announce a new limited edition of 25 bronze sculptures by interdisciplinary artist Guadalupe Maravilla, entitled Mini Relámpagos. The artist’s first bronze edition, Mini Relámpagos relates to the large-scale traveling sculpture Mariposa Relámpago currently on view at Ballroom Marfa in Texas. The artist’s work is also currently on view at P•P•O•W gallery in New York City.

Mini Relámpagos is a hybrid lightning bolt and serpent figure that - like much of the artist’s work - draws inspiration from many different ancient and contemporary healing practices. Produced in close collaboration with artisans in Mexico City, Mini Relámpagos is nearly two feet long and engineered to be displayed flat or hung vertically.

Maravilla’s work is autobiographical, often referencing his unaccompanied, undocumented migration to the United States due to the Salvadoran Civil War. His practice is grounded in the historical and contemporary contexts belonging to undocumented communities and the cancer community as a means of addressing experiences of war, displacement, illness, and healing.

“If you really start thinking about it, a lot of traditions are always about collective healing. Obviously it’s important for us to do our individual work but ultimately the collective healing is really important as well. And that’s a big part of my practice.” - Guadalupe Maravilla

Maravilla’s work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions internationally and resides in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. Ballroom edition sales help fund exhibitions and programs at Ballroom Marfa, which are always free and open to the public.

Guadalupe Maravilla is a transdisciplinary visual artist, choreographer, and healer. At the age of eight, Maravilla was part of the first wave of unaccompanied, undocumented children to arrive at the United States border in the 1980s as a result of the Salvadoran Civil War. In 2016, Maravilla became a U.S. citizen and adopted the name Guadalupe Maravilla in solidarity with his undocumented father, who uses Maravilla as his last name. As an acknowledgment of his past, Maravilla grounds his practice in the historical and contemporary contexts belonging to undocumented communities and the cancer community. 

Combining pre-colonial Central American ancestry, personal mythology, and collaborative performative acts, Maravilla’s performances, objects, and drawings trace the history of his own displacement and that of others. Culling the entangled fictional and autobiographical genealogies of border crossing accounts, Maravilla nurtures collective narratives of trauma into celebrations of perseverance and humanity. Across all media, Maravilla explores how the systemic abuse of immigrants physically manifests in the body, reflecting on his own battle with cancer, which began in his gut. Maravilla’s large-scale sculptures, titled Disease Throwers, function as headdresses, instruments, and shrines through the incorporation of materials collected from sites across Central America, anatomical models, and sonic instruments such as conch shells and gongs. Described by Maravilla as “healing machines”, these Disease Throwers ultimately serve as symbols of renewal, generating therapeutic, vibrational sound.

He has performed and presented his work at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Queens Museum, New York; The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; El Museo del Barrio, New York; Museum of Art of El Salvador, San Salvador; X Central American Biennial, Costa Rica; New York; Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, New York; and the Drawing Center, New York, among others.

All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly and sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.

All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.

All of our frames come with picture quality .090 mm plexiglass, which blocks 66% of UV to prevent color fading from exposure to light, keeping your art protected for years to come. It is now considered the industry standard for artists, museums and galleries throughout the world.

For images up to 30" x 40"

• 1 1/4” wide, 3/4” deep, with a 2 1/2” wide mat.
• We generally leave 1/4” - 1/2” of paper showing around the image, to accommodate signatures and for visual appeal.

For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40" please contact an Artspace advisor for a custom quote.

Our art editions ship in 7 to 10 business days from New York.

Our framed art editions ship in 11 to 14 business days from New York.

This work is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt of delivery.

Questions about this work?

Interested in other works by this artist or other artists? We will source them for you.

Contact an Artspace Advisor at advisor@artspace.com