Just Waiting.
This is a sculpture that I made some years ago for another solo show. The title is: Just Waiting. When I was growing up I was so curious about horses, about the real life horses that I grew up with. These ones weren't good-looking at all and they used to carry heavy things around, they were hard workers and they always looked tired. This guy who sold water to my Mom came often with his horse and stayed in front of our house for a few minutes. I saw this horse just waiting patiently until his owner said let's go. I always thought that this horse was a slave and I wanted to free him. It was hard for me to understand why these horses never did anything to escape. In my young mind I couldn't still understand how deep was the whole dynamic of being a slave. Can you believe that at some point in human history it was completely OK to have slaves? And can you believe that even today in some parts of the world there are human beings (and animals) treated like slaves? This piece is about the lack of freedom for being who you are. I think that growing up in Cuba where I didn't feel completely free made me more aware of how precious freedom is.
I am trying to figure out the writing on this horse. ?press to stay? Please explain the little girls leg hanging down from the horse. Thanks for sharing your art with us .
Posted by: Margie Oomen | October 29, 2007 at 01:29 PM
Next to the arrow pointing to the brain it says: guess what?
And then the other text with the interrogation sign says: Ready to Stay?
In this piece the horse is like a container for a plant (see the roses in the glass jar) The little leg is connected to the jar where the roses are growing so this leg is like the root of the roses. This means that within something immobile (the horse in this case) there is always life. Like inside every person who is not free there is always the potential for freedom.
Posted by: Elsita | October 29, 2007 at 02:29 PM
wow!! I guess the roses would have to grow another root (leg) before they could really be free.
Posted by: Margie Oomen | October 29, 2007 at 02:50 PM
That's funny! :)
Yes the roses won't go anywhere with only one root!
They better grow a second one!!
Posted by: Elsita | October 29, 2007 at 03:27 PM