Javier Marin’s contemporary sculpture in the Basilica Cathedral of Zacatecas
The Basilica Cathedral of Zacatecas, which has been declared cultural patrimony of humanity by the UNESCO, is home to the piece “Retablo” by the artist Javier Marin’s in collaboration with Gantous Architects since June 2010.
The piece consists of an altarpiece as a visual overkill of the central interior, the presbytery’s area with the altar-made up of four wings that support a marble plaque- as well bas-reliefs and sculptures of smaller dimensions.
The body of the altarpiece, made from a rhythmic geometric game, modulated and with great precision, generates spaces that have the images of saints with organic lines, resulting in a balanced composition that corresponds with the conditions and the nature of the enclosure.
Although the altarpiece and the presbytery were conceived and worked on as a single piece, the singularity of the gestures, the expressiveness of the modeled, the characteristics of the materials themselves, the evidence of the process, clearly show the personality of Javier Marin as an artist, in harmony with the architectural proposal of Gantous Architects.
In 2008 the State Government of Zacatecas and the State Secretary of Turism called for a competition for the realization of the culmination of the principal nave and the presbytery of the Basilica Cathedral of Zacatecas, located in the Historic Center of the city. Efforts were made to present the Cathedral with an important contemporary piece, that would add to the already existing attractions of the building and the city. 16 Mexican artists were invited to propose the culmination of the principal nave and the presbytery of the cathedral, from which Javier Marin was chosen.
Terreno Baldío Arte, the principal representative of Javier Marin in Mexico City, and the Editorial Group Romo are preparing several publications about this artistic project, with interdisciplinary contributions by various personalities of the Mexican cultural scene: Nestor Braunstein, Alberto Ruy Sánchez, Elsa Cross, and Clara Bargelini among others.
If you wish to obtain major information about the project, please contact the gallery Terreno Baldio art, main representative of Javier Marin.
