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Stelae Storage

Mariana Castillo Deball2013

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
New York, United States

In this work, plaster casts inspired by monolithic Mayan stone sculptures called stelae are displayed on storage racks, and point to the artist’s interest in what she refers to as “uncomfortable objects.” Mariana Castillo Deball’s casts were inspired by papier-mâché molds made by nineteenth-century archaeologist Alfred Maudslay at the Mayan site of Palenque in southern Mexico. Many of the historic original sculptures were looted or have vanished, making Maudslay’s copies (which are now in the collection of the British Museum in London) the only evidence of their existence. Castillo Deball’s casts are thus twice removed from the original artifacts, raising questions about the value of the copy and the transmission of historical truth.

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  • Title: Stelae Storage
  • Creator: Mariana Castillo Deball
  • Date Created: 2013
  • Physical Dimensions: 59 1/16 x 59 1/16 x 31 1/2 inches (150 x 150 x 80 cm) overall
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: Copyright: Mariana Castillo Deball. Installation view: Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today, Museo Jumex, Mexico City, November 19, 2015–February 7, 2016. Courtesy: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, and Museo Jumex, Mexico City. Photo: Moritz Bernoully
  • External Link: Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative
  • Medium: Metal rack, plaster plates, and 28 inkjet prints mounted on cardboard
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation

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