Ernesto Solana, The Anecdote Reveals Something Else, 2025
Recycled aluminum, including sculptural elements of Erythrina coralloides flower and seed pod, and Nymphalis antiopa chrysalis; neodymium magnets, stainless steel pyramidal wall base.
20.88 × 10.25 × 11 inches
Xicalcoliuhqui-inspired geometries—a stepped, spiraling motif rooted in Mesoamerican design—anchor a cast aluminum flame coral tree flower, seed pod, and a suspended Nymphalis antiopa chrysalis. Like a serpent, the sculpture coils atop a stepped pyramidal base affixed to the wall. Its silver surface shifts subtly, shaped by a foundry process akin to lost-wax casting. The suspended chrysalis becomes a metaphor for transformation and potential, embodying the liminal space between life and death. The work reflects on how nature is abstracted, ritualized, and reshaped—where beauty becomes a mirror of desire, and likeness a fragile imprint of power, preservation, and control.