Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
A monumental sculpture of a skull rests on the already emblematic building of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in the centre of Redwood City, obliging passers-by to see it again.
It is a papier-mâché skull carrying a suitcase in which he carries more than his clothes; he carries memories, souvenirs, music, culture, smells and tastes that he will bring to his new land. It is a work called Exodus and Memory by the sculptor Fernando Escártiz, who lives in Redwood City and is originally from Mexico City.
Exodus and memory is, according to the same author, a tribute to all those who left their land in search of new horizons. "When you leave your country and go to another, you do not necessarily take with you material objectives, but you always take with you your culture, your memories, your experiences, the same ones that you integrate into the place where you arrive.
This twelve-foot tall piece has been exhibited at the San Francisco Symphony, the Museum of California in Oakland and the Redwood City Esplanade, among other venues. The original idea for its creation, according to Escártiz, comes from the "vitrinitas", which are small glass boxes sold in the days leading up to Day of the Dead in Mexico.
The showcases contain skulls performing different trades and professions. "There are different conceptions of the Day of the Dead. I like the idea that, seeing you represented in a skull, you can enjoy and value life even more", said the sculptor.
"When I left my land,
I turned around and cried
because, what I wanted most,
I was leaving him behind.""He was carrying, for companions,
-Popular song.
a memory and a sorrow,
and a full suitcase
of the sounds of my land."
