Artist
Wilfredo Valladares
Unmasked Series #1
Date2019
MediumCast aluminum & wood
Dimensions24 × 14 × 6 in. (61 × 35.6 × 15.2 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH2021.044
ClassificationsSculpture
Locations
- Currently Not on View
DescriptionAs an immigrant to the United States from Honduras, Wilfredo Valladares relies on childhood memories to understand and represent his life. In his artwork, he combines gathered and stored information with physical materials shaped by labor and instinct. He tells migration narratives as a response to human struggle, migrant labor, displacement, labels, assimilation, and the interconnectedness of political and socioeconomic factors. Valladares also incorporates Mayan mythology and symbolism to inject mystery and spiritual power. Unmasked Series #1 belongs to a group of artworks that use headdresses to tell the stories behind the immigrant’s journey.
