Pase Usted
The kingdom of colors has within it multidimensional possibilities only partly to be reduced to simple order. Each individual color is a universe in itself.—Johannes Itten
Pase UstedSan Antonio Museum of Art
Carlos Rosales-Silva’s "Pase Usted"
The mural now covers the San Antonio Museum of Art's (SAMA) Great Hall. As the inaugural installation of the Museum's Gateway series, an ongoing project that will enlist contemporary artists to activate SAMA’s main lobby, Rosales-Silva's work will remain on view until 2025.
“Pase usted” is Spanish for “welcome” or “come in," used in reference to signage found at Latinx shops and restaurants in the US and Mexico. It sets the stage for visitors to experience the Museum’s global collections.
Arches
Examples of the round and corbel arches used in "Pase Usted" can be found around the Museum galleries and grounds. They are associated with classical European architecture and the architecture of the precolonial Americas.
Portals
For Rosales-Silva, the arches suggest portals to the Museum’s vast collections and the swirling cerulean blue motif is his interpretation of wave and plant-like patterns observed on vessels throughout the Museum.
This South Italian plate from the fourth century B.C. features a running scroll pattern similar to Rosales-Silva's spiral design.
Patterns
Similar wave and meander patterns appear across the world and centuries later, including on this twentieth-century Mexican water vessel and lid.
Pase UstedSan Antonio Museum of Art
Interconnections
Looking closely at SAMA's collection and reflecting details at a grand sale, Rosales-Silva reveals an interconnectedness between nature and culture spanning vastly different time periods, geographies, and experiences.
Learn more about the process behind the mural by watching our interview with Rosales-Silva.
Tap to explore
See it at SAMA
See Pase Usted at the San Antonio Museum of Art, on view until September 14, 2025.
This project is made possible by Bank of America.
Generous support also comes from Christopher Hill.
Additional funding has been provided by the Meadow Family in memory of Dr. Kathryn Meadow Orlans (1929-2022).
Commissioned by the San Antonio Museum of Art and produced by Carlos Rosales-Silva with assistance from Cassidy Fritts.
