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The Mexican Cultural Center originally brought the fourteen-foot-high sculpture, officially named "Xólotl: Dios Perro" (Xólotl: Dog Diety), to Denver for the Biennial of the Americas, when it was displayed in front of the History Colorado Center. But DIA seems a more fitting setting.
"Our goal is not to create something commonplace and predictable, but instead to create something that is one-of-a-kind," says a fact sheet provided by DIA Public Art Coordinator Mandy Renaud and DIA Exhibitions Coordinator Tim Vacca.
The artist, Oscar Becerra-Mora, set out to depict a mythological creature from the Aztec culture. Xólotl is an alebrije, a fantastical god figure that appears in Mexican culture, as well as Greek mythology and Asian culture.
The sculpture is made from paper maché, a common medium in Mexico, where Becerra-Mora lives, but it's rarely used for a work this large. "It's the first piece like this," says Irays Munoz, public relations coordinator for the Mexican Cultural Center. "It's usually made out of wood, but this one is made out of paper maché."
Becerra-Mora himself was on hand to supervise its installation at DIA last month. The sculpture will remain on display there until May.
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