Two wings of bronze are placed on an iron frame above three steps of concrete. Isolated, they seem to hang in the air. Then someone climbs the steps, stands in front of them and, for a moment, they make perfect sense. Created in 2010 by the Mexican sculptor Jorge Marín for a public space intervention that took place at the heart of Mexico City, Wings of Mexico landed on the Cairo Opera House grounds at the entrance to the Palace of Arts on Sunday 14 May. Thanks to the Mexican Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID), the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Latino Centre for Leadership Development and the sculptor himself, the sculpture can now be seen by any Egyptian who wants to see it. Travelling since 2013, when after touring Asia it has arrived in Africa and the Middle East, the statue has become a symbolical presence in its own right, promoting Mexico's image worldwide. Once installed in a public space, it creates a meeting point where the visitors can interact with it and share their experiences. Mexico and Egypt are countries whose millennial cultures continue to permeate the contemporary life of their people. That is why the presence of Wings of Mexico in Cairo, one of the most important cities in human history, reminds us of the infinite cultural wealth that both nations share, where past and present are continual reminder of the origins of civilisation. The sculpture was inaugurated in the presence of the Ambassador of Mexico to Egypt José Octavio Tripp and Culture Minister Helmi Al-Namnam as well as the sculptor. Addressing the attendees, Al-Namnam pointed out that, on the occasion of Egypt celebrating the 60th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with Mexico, he will be discussing the possibility of showing the sculpture in other Egyptian cities. According to Marín, “In a blunt action towards space, Wings of Mexico seeks to recover the relationships that societies redirect in places where life occurs every day, giving people the possibility to stop for a moment and share a dream in which the interaction with the piece transforms them all into winged beings... I was motivated by a public desire and a common and natural feeling which is seeking liberty...” Since 2010 Marín has felt no desire to add to or in any way change his piece, since it effectively delivers the message while not imposing any particular interpretation on the viewer. “For me,” the artist who is interested in projects of public space recovery through artistic interventions says, “it is a gift to leave an impression on others... Showing the work in public places in the open air brings my work closer to all people who use the streets and public squares in their everyday life. It promotes the idea of feeling more and being connected more to your emotions.” Marín, Al-Namnam and Tripp Regardless of geographic and cultural distances, Marín's figurative work shares universal symbols such as the desire to fly and to be free, and this is one of the reasons Wings of Mexico has been displayed in Singapore, Los Angeles, Berlin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Baku and Bangkok as well as Mexico City. This is not to mention that it is also part of the exhibition “Wings of the City”, which has been touring the United States and has been exhibited in cities such as Brownsville, Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Denver. Born in Mexico in 1963, Marín is one of the best recognised contemporary figurative artists. He has experimented with different techniques and materials, which led him to bronze and to a wax casting process lost for a millennium, which he adopted as his distinctive seal. Doing so, he has approached different sculptural dimensions, from the small-sized to the monumental, and his art has travelled around the world, appropriating public spaces and allowing an unprecedented dialogue between the artwork, the spectator and the environment. “I have been working with bronze for 25 years now,” he explains. “I have all the possibilities to express all my ideas without limits in three dimensions with bronze. Although my first encounter with sculpture was through carving on wax, wood and clay, I feel more comfortable with bronze.” Marín has taken part in over 260 exhibitions, both monographic and collective. Individually, his artworks have been exhibited in museums and galleries in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, England, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Brussels, Latonia, Azerbaijan, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong Thailand, the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. He also plans to start a project on Mediterranean cities. “Wings of Mexico is a project that I have always wanted to tour the entire world: Latin America, Europe, Asia and now it is starting a new journey from Egypt; I love to feel that part of Mexico is here next to you in Cairo,” he ended. Marín visited Luxor, Aswan and Sharm El-Sheikh 20 years ago as a tourist when he felt then at home and was warmly welcomed by the Egyptians he met. Today as a sculptor, he says, he is proud to show his work in “the land of sculpture and ancient civilisation”. The sculpture is on display outside the Palace of Arts till 13 October.
