From origins to horizons

Rodolfo Oviedo Vega - El Salvador

The Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States (OAS) is a prominent cultural institution with the primary purpose of promoting the art and history of the OAS member countries. Established in 1976, it is located in the historic main building of the OAS in Washington, D.C. The museum boasts a permanent collection of over 2,000 works of art, spanning from the pre-Columbian era to the 21st century. The OAS operates under four pillars—democracy, human rights, security, and development.

It is a visual experience created by the artist Rodolfo Oviedo Vega, encapsulating the rich cultural and symbolic heritage of the Americas. From Paris, where he resides, to San Salvador, his place of origin, Oviedo Vega incorporates his art around four fundamental axises related to significant periods of the continent: the indigenous peoples; the complexity of cultural clash, conquest, slavery, and Afro-descendant peoples; the struggle for independence and national identities; and the multiple challenges of the modern era.

This exhibition acts as a form of non-verbal communication, where artistic expressions convey messages and emotions that transcend borders and build bridges of understanding. Rodolfo Oviedo Vega has become a symbol of the inter American system, using art and painting to highlight the dynamism and virtues of a community committed to its origins. His art and commitment to the artistic community strengthen cultural ties between France and Latin America.

Individual exhibition

10th October - 24th November 2024

Art Museum of the Americas

Washington DC, USA. Photos : Rafael Cruz, USA

THE AWAKENING OF FORMS

“This is the account of how all of Heaven and Earth came to be: its four corners, its four angles, the folding of the measuring cord, the full extension of that cord in Heaven, on Earth. Everything is suspended, everything is at rest, everything is in silence; and the vault of Heaven is empty. The face of the Earth had not yet appeared, only the calm sea existed. There was still nothing joined together, nothing making noise, nothing moving, only still water, only the peaceful sea, only solitude.” Popol Wuj, translation by Sam Colop.

From the initial nebulous space – darkness, silence, stillness – the works of Rodolfo Oviedo Vega seem to emerge. Rather than recognizable objects, what appears are organic forms, primordial movements, cosmic geometry, stretching across the “four corners, the four angles” of his canvases. (...) Boldly, Oviedo Vega saturates the canvas with layers of dense, solid pigments, leaving no respite, sometimes with textures that almost invite touch. (...) But his palette is mostly earthy, as if extracted from a volcanic crater: magma red, coal black, cobalt blue, rock brown… and gold, always gold, torn from the wounds of the earth and the heart of the stars. (...) Concerning the pre-Hispanic era, it’s a sensation born from contact with archaeological ruins, codices, ancient objects, ancestral languages, sacred texts, all witnesses, in essence, of ancient ways of inhabiting this world. (...) The artist does not fear mixing distant mythologies: Aztec, Maya, Inca, or even those of the Alaskan natives; without forgetting that his references also journey to other realms: Persian, Hindu, and, of course, European. Thus, far from focusing solely on Mesoamerica, this exhibition weaves intangible, timeless, and intercultural connections between peoples, highlighting the mysterious, synchronous advances of human creativity.

By Christina Chirouze Montenegro

Eclipse

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

150 x 150 cm

2024

Serpiente, estrella, mar y muerte

False diptych

Acrylic and gold leaf, mixed media on canvas

192 x 128 cm - 192 x 128 cm

2024

Piedra de moler solar

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

192 x 128 cm

2024

Cruz, maíz y espada

Aluminum, steel, and bronze

Variable dimensions

2024

RUPTURE AND CONTINUITY

The Colonial Period

Through a series of works, Rodolfo Oviedo Vega revisits significant aspects of a period traditionally referred to as the colonial era. Following the encounter of these two cultures on American soil, intense military conflicts, alliances, and subjugations developed between the Spa nish and indigenous peoples. In these pieces, the artist reflects the complexity of over three hundred years of Spanish domination in American lands and societies—a time marked by struggles, abuses, resistances, exchanges, and cul tural adaptations among Indigenous peoples, Spa niards, people of African descent, and mixed groups resulting from mestizaje. The realities and tensions between these different strata define the social cha llenges of the period, a painful reality revealed throu gh dramatic colors, forms, and symbols. The Spanish drive for expansion was accompanied by a missionary purpose, and these works allude to the presence of Catholicism, so influential in lives shaped by the sound of church bells, devotional practices, and other enduring expressions that remain as testimonies to a cultural syncretism and identity. Urban and rural landscapes also transformed, affecting relationships and population dynamics. America was no longer the same, nor was the rest of the world—such were the impacts and contributions of this era that the artist shares with us in this exhibition.

By Rafael Alas Vásquez

Grilletes o hacia el mestizage

Acrylic and gold leaf, mixed media on canvas

130 x 195 cm

2024

Invasión del Norte al Sur, América Central y Reticula

Acrylic and gold leaf, mixed media on canvas

130 x 162 cm

2024

Populo - Caelum

Neon

Variable dimensions

2018

VULENS POPULO SATISFACERE

Composition No 514

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

200 x 200 cm

2024

Pentêkostề hêméra

Composition N°515

Acrylic and gold leaf, mixed media on canvas

200 x 200 cm

2016

Composicion N°536

Acrylic and gold leaf, mixed media on canvas

24 x 16 cm

2021

Composicion N°537

Acrylic and gold leaf, mixed media on canvas

24 x 16 cm

2021

HEROES, LEGACY, AND FUTURE

Independence in Latin America

"You sacred divinities of America, arise from the darkness where you are buried and come to inspire a son of your soil; come so the world may see that you too have a Parnassus and cherished geniuses. And you, oh sun! father of America, creator’s fire of the universe, animate my song with your life-giving rays!” – Esteban Echeverría (...)

Thus, shedding this legacy of exploitation provided Latin America’s new states with a sense of cohesion and internal identity to build nations. (...) These new nations were built on shared values, distinct geographies, and a profound sense of cultural belonging. Constitutions, nationalist movements, and new republics became the foundations on which the future of these peoples would be built.

(...) The artist invites us to reflect on the urgent need for continuous updating and modernization in the pursuit of social justice and equity. His interventions and installations prompt us to reconsider the inherent challenges of democratic development and the construction of freedom throughout history. Oviedo Vega not only studies and researches; he also proposes new installations that allow the viewer to connect and experience through calligraphy and the use of stamps. (...) Through Oviedo’s multidisciplinary work, we are invited to explore the nuances and singularities of this liberating process that has shaped the destinies of entire nations. (...).

By Marisa Caichiolo

Sellos

Participatory installation

Linoleum, pine wood, ink, paper, support table

Variable dimensions

2024

La Chute

Acrylic, banana leaf, gold leaf, and ink on canvas

195 x 114 cm

2024

LA CHUTE

"Nothing is as dangerous as allowing the same citizen to remain in power for a long time. The people become accustomed to obeying him, and he to commanding them; it is here where usurpation and tyranny originate." Simón Bolívar

The most cherished dream of human reason is freedom. (...) Latin America has convulsed throughout its history countless times, whether from civil wars, armed guerrillas, dictatorships, or the fight against drug trafficking. Various factors have repeatedly led to practices that lack solidarity with the people, the environment, and nature.

The local landscape has transformed significantly over the last few decades. After a long period of abuses and violence from corrupt governments, rural areas and indigenous communities were profoundly affected; goods were overexploited, indigenous communities were mistreated, ceremonial centers were destroyed, and urban models were imposed and replicated across the southern continent. (...) Even in the 21st century, these patterns are repeated, and the struggles continue. Yet today’s concerns are different, as modern society does not tolerate abuse as readily. Although mechanisms and institutions now exist to regulate and attempt to maintain peace, it remains crucial to safeguard freedom, strengthen ties between nations, Guaranteeing the safety of women and children, so that old patterns and models are not repeated, and when someone wants to step out of the box, it will be necessary to have strategies to overthrow the dictator.

By Pancho López